The Moldy Doily

Muses, Mummy Ruffles and Mega Mass

things that caught my eye...
Model muse Ana Nocon has one of those tiny bird-like dolly faces that makes me want to pull out paint sets. Her wide eyed expressions are curiously strange. Also happy about the latest designs for fall 2006 by Tao--mega ruffle pod like creations, Vivienne Westwood's elaborate Marie Antoinette puff dresses, and some crafty knit explosions at the Central St. Martins show. (photos by marcio madeira)

Volume + Color--by V. Westwood

model mass- check out that hair volume

knit masked mummy style by Vivienne Westwood

crabby

Central St MArtins--

sometimes sequins

Sometimes when I get bored I find random objects in my apartment that inspire me. Sometimes sequin hats make my day. Tonight, I searched through old fashion books and checked out 60's hippies while watching the Emmys. You know things are lonely over here when I putting on flapper hats- taking pictures in front of Henry Darger posters and crying when the Emmy's play that long list of actors who died this year. I mean Don Knotts for petes sake.

Weekend Update

I survived another lackluster sweaty Sunset Junction street fair. Did I mention this one should have been called the Gentrification Festival? Looks like Myspace hosted a rave dance party full of hip white kids. Sure the margaritas helped dull the $15 entrance fee- but it did nothing to assist with the awkward encounters with people from my past. I had fun hanging out with my girl friends and watching the VICE fashion don'ts parade by.
This is Britt showing off her awesome big rip- after one margarita

this guy was taking the hard earned allowance of kids --Could be worse I suppose - he could be taking their lives on rickety wobble carnie rides that were being propped up with 2X4's nearby

Ran into these good looking kids from the Delmore

witnessed Redd Kross hit the stage- something I haven't seen since 1994-

here's proof of the fashion Don'ts

somehow I wandered into the teddybear clan- shirtless and powerful

this is where you may find a lost Britzy-the reggae truck

here's the zipper in it's swirling lights of glory. This ride, no matter where it may be found- from Ohio to Calif- has some sketchy memories. My favorite story of the Zipper however is GP's Chicago version- where some girl offered to do anything he wanted (8th grade) as long as he would ride it with her- he declined and remained virginal til many years later.

This snaggle toothed cactus plant is in Britt's front yard waiting like a giant octupus.

this morning I went with Gaby to visit Fifi- for her birthday.

Later- I went to get Viv at the airport and then to hang out with Uncle Lou on the west side. He invited us up for a glass of "burgandy" which we discovered translates to vinegar sugar water warm in a glass. He told us great stories and treated us to a fine meal at NORMS family diner. I guess it's true what they say about 97 year old men knowing how to win the ladies over.

did I mention that the hair wizard Nina gave me a new hair-do today?

space is the place

I've been spending my time this week making space. The more things I move the better things seem to flow. Soon enough there will be room again for friends and craft circles. The books are arranged by subject from crafts to women artists. Who knew I had it in me? The bigget obstacle will of course be the bedroom- where the piles of costumes have gathered for a meeting on the floor.

I apologize for the lack of posts -- trust me- this is going to have a huge pay off.

My boy's all Growsdup

Wow- what a difference a day makes.
I've been friends with Mr. Kutmah for over 8 years.( That's crazy). He was one of the first people I ever met in L.A and he stuck with me when the chips were down. In all the years we have been friends- we have both struggled as artists to make ends meet, and have had our share of vintage cars that broke down countless times. (I still own mine). We've had the electricity and phones turned off- and lived on potato chips. It is with great pride that I report this year he has hit the big time. His first solo album of beats and music is coming out any day now, his art work is selling like gold and he just scored this amazing electric blue car. That's right it's a 2001. I could cry. This thing is gonna see some serious Drive Thru food action

here is his latest art piece- wood burn

this is a poloroid I shot of us in the potato chip era. We may have been starving but we had good haircuts

Gypsy Spirit

If anyone knows how to turn the magic up a notch on a dull Sunday afternoon--it's Miss Lizzie.
You can count on her to brighten up the block and remind everyone to use some serious jazz hand action.

check out her rainbow rad bracelet she made! wonder twins power activate

If I could make miss lizzie into a doll- I'd made sure she came with some of these New York Dolls style platforms- and a sequin beret and some type of gypsy jumpsuit or bell sleeve kimono.

Discover this Hooker

I bought the latest issue of my favorite craft mag- FIBER ARTS. This issue features some amazing Female artists (Lousie Bourgeois, Jenny Hart--) and my favorite Whitney Lee. I first heard about her from my friend Amy Lou's blog. Lucky for me I'm headed to Chicago where Whitney's new work will be displayed throughout the fall. Her latch hook work portrays sexy 70's style ladies in organic fantastic envrionments. Her psychedelic colors (lime green burnt orange and magical plum) seem to burst from the busts of these women. These women who seem so confidant in their sexuality are the product of many feminist classes and women's studies. I was surprised to see that she hails from Columbus Ohio originally- my college town.

If you too would love to learn how to be a professional hooker- check out the latch hook kits she has for sale & her work
www.madewithsweetlove.com

birthday mom

Someday I would love to get my mom a real birthday gift --like a trip to Greece, a car or a cute house. In the meantime I'll send out a card and some kind words. It's hard to believe that in most of the pictures my mother is only 28!. This was the same year she took me to Scotland to visit her family-and I saw her dance with relatives and laugh so hard she fell to the floor. I give her kudos for being a patient young mother who figured out how to use creativity to cope with crazy kids and a type "A" husband. On her birthday today- I know she will be finding a party somewhere with cheap cocktails- and laughing with all her friends at bad jokes.

here she is in Scotland dancing with Uncle Tommy

everything's coming up roses

saw this dolly darcey look on the block today- and had to photograph her

it's nice seeing your friend teary eyed after receiving a bunch of brilliant roses from a great guy

Precious+ Creepy

Something about that lovely combination always makes me excited.
Puffy Paper hanging pods and dolls of mischief.

4 a.m. Muscle ache

I have a new found respect for those flea market sellers. Participating in a Rose Bowl is like moving down 4 flights of stairs into a new apartment 10 times over. I've never done this much lifting. The realization that I merely skimmed the surface of my clutter and still filled a moving van was a bummer. How did I end up with all these clothes? Surely I have not spent every waking hour shopping- right? What gives. Cynthia and I could barely climb out of bed and ended up eating donuts and coffee just to entice motivation. Of course the surge of energy that comes when your very first Japanese vintage PRO picks through your crap is pure bliss. I mean who knew that it was still dark at 5 a.m.? Those guys from Japan not only have carts but headgear with lights on top. And boy do they start training them young. By age 3 they already rock the bellbottom levis and collectable Hawaiian tops and know what Big E Jeans are.

Cindy figured she would try for the Mark Kate Olsen selling look- the teen girls love that

You must admit this looks pretty damn appealing considering most of it was junk junk junk

This was our happy selling neighbor- trying on Cindy's hippie gear

this guy in the background had the best vest on--every inch a patch-

I met a cool Indian Chief who said this dog of his was on myspace and was friends with the actress who played Pochohontas. hmmm

Joaquin came by with his latest record scores. Check out this two dollar dream- TABOO 2 record

this one will fetch you at least fifty-

speaking of VOODOO hair and heebie jeebies-- this Monkey FUR coat that Cindy was selling freaked everyone out. They were banned sometime around the 30's and worn by all the rockstars- I guess no one wanted to be Brian Jones or Planet of the Apes

You would've thought that they were passing out MOD psychedelic flower boxes to girls at the ROSE BOWL for free- seemed every cool girl under 16 was hugging one .
Check out Emma fresh from her recent summer school stint in NYC

this girl had a groovy mom and sisters all PROS in the vintage department

These are from Emma's poloroids:

There seemed to be a lot of fab redheads representing "pale" and sassy

I was relieved to find someone with a more pathetic collection of junk than mine

This fashion "Don't" reminded me of that one ...comedian....what's his name?

oh yeah his name is Bruce Vilanch-

I ended up buying this Picasso blue period picture on my way to use the bathroom. Don't ask

cindy showed sheer willpower after noticing that a vendor dumped his Raggedy collection into the trash sure she could have taken them home but she put them back in the trash for someone else

was a shame seeing them all huddled there beneath that creepy robot

this is what the end of a Rose Bowl day looks shoved back into your store

she's gone

I woke up early this morning to take GP to the airport. While brushing my teeth I heard the phone ring and then him reply to the caller "I'm so sorry Marie". And then he handed the phone to me and my mother simply said "my mommy is gone, she passed away this morning".
I guess the day before most of her children, grandchildren and great grand children gathered for a party to celebrate Todd (my cousin's son) going off to college for the first time. They took Nana from the nursing home and everyone took pictures and watched fireworks and had a good time.
Every since she took ill and had to leave her home for the hospital, my aunt has struggled to tell her that because she never signed her home over to her family, the state would eventually seize it to pay for nursing care. Sometime after the party, in the evening back at the nursing home she fell asleep. In the early morning she called a nurse in to say..." I need my keys now." Then she turned on her side and slipped away. I'd like to think she thought she was going back home.

Ellen "Nelly" Warnock was born in 1924
She had the sweetest Scottish accent that echoed like a song
she used to whistle soft little songs down the halls
she was always reading romance novels
and asking "would you like a wee cup of tea hen?"
in her wedding photo she had the longest jet blue/black hair in ringlets, like Scarlett O'Hara maybe
She always fixed my Papa toast and jam in the evening while he watched t.v, right before bed.
She loved boxing matches
Her witty sarcasm was always masked well by her 4 foot 11 darling frame
She was the first person to buy me paperdolls when I was 7--Marilyn Monroe.
She was the first customer to dine in my make believe restaurants and save every menu.
She lent me her delicate china to play house as a young girl
She always took us to the cemetary to play when she lived in Cleveland and didn't have a yard.
she kept a straight face when I marked every page in the JC Penney catalog Toy section on my XMAS list one year
She lived above the Broadview SAvings Bank when I was young, and would clean the offices at night.
We would follow her around and play "bank tellers" always scared of the mechanical Santa display in the basement.
She encouraged my entrepreneur spirit, by letting me cut up all her socks to create doll clothes
When I was a teenager she saved me clippings in the newspaper on Duran Duran
She wore my bikini once in the hot tub.
She went on many family trips with us- including the infamous scenic route to see the caverns that took an extra 5 hours. (my father is Clark Griswald- if there was a giant ball of mud somewhere we took the long way to see it)

This means that all of my grandparents are gone. She was the last one alive. I cherished her
for all of her genuine spirit and sass. She was always telling great tales and folk remedies. I especially loved the cure for chapped hands-- pee on them.

these are the first paper dolls she ever bought me and helped cut out

these are the paperdolls I made when I was seven at her house

Here I am as a young doll clothing designer- if you click on this My sister at right was the shop girl

me- in nana's kitchen

Here I am with "one" of the dolls from my JC Penney Xmas Catalog list

this past Christmas-

What would you do for $4?

This guy with the lil girl tights and half shirt did a nice fashion pose/ sashay for four whole dollars.
Can you top this?

Land of the Red Hots

Tis true that this is one of the best hot dog places on earth, perhaps explaining the heavy weight city title.
I don't think I ate this much while touring Italy. Last night we went to Billy Goats- one of the oldest Chicago Newspaper hangouts. The Bar/Diner is hidden under the city and looks untainted by the passing of decades. Mostly people know Billgoats from the infamous Saturday Night Live skit mocking it...cheezeborger cheezeborger-no Pepsi--COKE. My camera battery was dead- so the layers of grease and history will have to remain in my mind.

Sometimes pictures are better than words- and since these past four days have been quite an amazing blur- I will let them show why I think Chicago is an incredible city. (From the Green River Soda to the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier)

My favorite new discovery in the park downtown is the giant mirrored bean sculpture.

In the LOST house district where the oldest home from Chicago sits- we discovered this amazing mansion for sale. We went around the yard and noticed a coach house as well. This would make the best salon style bed and breakfast. It is directly across from the MArshall Fields Jr. mansion

Last night we time travelled to the 1990's Hard Rock Cafe style.
JAson got us onto the red carpet for the Blender Magazine party. It was straight out of scene at the Rainbow room...Dave Navarro and company on stage and strippers gallore.
This made me miss my L.A. Insert tongue in cheek now

this particular Fredericks of Hollywood babe was one step away from vomit

Well- by tonight I will be on a plane headed for the land of plastic ladies and palm trees. I can't wait.
Good bye Chicago- til next time

Off to Sleazy Motels

In our final days in NY state we lounged by the patio and went antique shopping in Nyack. I fell in love with all the gems and this little black sheep doll.

Later we attended a play in town that Alan directed called:

In the audience was the still fascinating Arlene Dahl. She was in "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and once had a torrid affair with J.F.K. She still had the fiery red hair that made her a siren in the day.

She was married for a brief time to Fernando Lamas...and had son Lorenzo--(GREASE)

Uncle Alan is having a fab house warming party later this month. My favorite thing in his house is this pastel portrait that someone made of him in the late 70's:

I helped make these trash cans fancy for his celebration.

We left the lush landscape of Rockland County and headed for our favorite sleepy town in PA called Stroudsburg. This is the place we stayed on our last Ohio tour. We ended up at a Church Rummage Sale/ town festival with the locals (seemed more like a scene from Deliverance) Toothless townies and sausage faced kids.

After eating a fried feast and buying crafts we were back on the road and driving
for 10 hours to Ohio. Lucky for us the rental car had a navigating computer system. As we drove in the darkness past my sisters 6 acre homestead...it simply stated "You have arrived".
We unfortunately were staying furthur up the block at the sleazy moist motel.

The Low down :

BOB EVANS- Biscuits and gravy for G.P. Smoking in Diners still exists, obesity is the new fad.
Jim's Kitchen- Super small old diner- 50's that I've been going to since I was like 4. All the waitresses
still know me and G.P has a luxurious burger with onions.
Chagrin Falls: The infamous 1920's town with the waterfalls behind the old time popcorn shop

Drive- In Movie-- That's right 5 minutes away from my sisters place there is a huge Drive-In where you
pay $15 for a car load. We were eaten alive by bugs but had a good time draped in
blankets

4-Wheelin'/mini bikes: G.P and I rode around the lawn on mini bikes racing across the 6 acres- This
is more exciting then one could imagine. Especially the narrow bridge to the back
yard -in the pitch black darkness with creeks and tall reeds-

The VFW Bar We officially want to be members. Where else can you get top shelf scotch for $3
along with Chicken Paprikash special dinners? We played pool and talked to
the locals- G.P. loved the smoke filled room.

Hillbillies -- We stumbled upon this tiny road behind my sisters place that took us by this old
house with a sign that said "free puppy" . In the drive was a ratty old fluffy dread
head doggy that was adorable. We stopped and called out to him and then a dozen
puppies ran out and surrounded the car and followed us for awhile. Furthur down we
noticed this amazing sunset clearance through the willow trees. Flowers floating on top
of the lake- so serene. Seemed Jason would jump out at any time and kill us
Old Trains- Everywhere trains running along the roadside-
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
Bob Dylan- retrospective... Sid Vicious blood stained SEX shoppe t-shirts-, his pirate
Viviene Westwood strappy boots, Jimi Hendrix's early paintings of football players
(Henry DArger style) Janis Joplins love beads and gods eyes. So many cool outfits of
JEfferson Airplane (a suede cape with a naked couple fornicating as the clasp out of
brass) The MAMAS and PAPAS embroidered dresses, Beaded fringe vests of Sly and the
Family Stone, etc...

The fact that they won't let you take pictures in that place gave me a broken heart.
Lunch with Dad: For those who know me- it should be obvious how that went down, right?
We ended up taking these new band photos against the brick wall-

Ohio Farmland & houses: amazing to see horses in yards. little lakes and wild flowers

Driving in the Limo- that's right my sister has purchased a giant stretch limo- we arrived at the Indian Restaurant BUFFET like the Sopranos

Ryder- My nephew - (he's 1 1/2 years old- loves handbags and Madonna gloves)

We drove down to Columbus-Ohio to visit the new family--Danielle Mike and Lucas.
Of course we ended up at Katsingers so GP could test the Pastrami on rye
He declared the Deli ranked in his top 5 all time favorites.

Danielle makes all the artwork/signs at the place-

I love the way all the Ohio houses have sweet porches -especially Danielle's with the birdhouses

This is the street in Victorian Village where I used to live while attending Ohio State University-

We had a great time hanging with the parents. Danielle and I visited our old haunts- the local dive bars where GP was elated to order $20 dollar scotch for $7. Here he is on a rant about smoking being banned from bars. He wandered off outside and made friends with visitors from Spain. I recognized a girl in the bathroom that once modeled nude for me in my fine art classes.

some of Danielle's ART-

Danielle and I stayed in and took pictures while watching Project Runway--
GP and Mike went out on the town til the bars closed. They could barely form a sentence- when they returned- and seemed as thick as thieves. They both are experts on food and drink but not so good at keeping their stories straight about the evening activities.

somehow we managed to wake up and end up here in Chicago