The Moldy Doily

after the holiday

Today was the best after holiday day ever. First pals Nina and David gave me the cool electric tea kettle I wanted. So now I can make tea in 35 seconds flat without forgetting the water is boiling. Then the mailman delivers a box from AMY Lou and Finn- with the best BOX set of DVD's from the Tennessee Williams collection. (Including my favorite movie BABYDOLL!)- which if you google my name you will find my name signed on a petition to make it a DVD . Then tonight Viv came by and gave me my Xmas gift- the Marie Antoinette Sofia Coppola book. What a day.

If you haven't seen BABYDOLL- Directed by Elia Kazan- you should rent it-- prepare yourself for the best sexual tension in a black and white film- you can almost feel the Mississippi heat and uncomfortable closeness. The film holds up in humor too. Very funny moments scattered about. Although the film was banned by the legion of decency-in 1956 for being to sexually suggestive- it is quite tame by todays standards.
Carol Baker was nominated for the best actress award that year. She was also the largest painted mural on Broadway- in an ad for the film she stared out sucking her thumb while laying in a baby crib.

(images found at hollywoodpinup.com)

my favorite line: when asked how she knows a big word like arson... babydoll says

"I went to school in my day, and I'm a magazine reader."

Kim Family Auction

An auction of fine art + craft has been organized to benefit the family of James Kim organized by sisters Lisa Congdon and Stephanie Barnes and their mother Gerrie Congdon. 100% of the auction proceeds will go to the Kim Family Fund. Amazing Auction items from various artists will be available for bid starting January 3, 2007on eBay. Bidding ends January 7th.

Here are some of the great items that will be auctioned off for the benefit.

Please go this site www.kimfamilyauction.typepad.com
and then respectively to the EBAY auction listings and bid on something to help the family of James Kim...I read the following in the paper when the news broke and it nearly broke my heart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
James Kim was a respected expert on cutting-edge digital devices, an owner of a trendy clothing store and a lover of the futuristic-sounding music known as electronica.

Yet, according to friends, most of Kim's life revolved around old-fashioned values: sacrifice, friendship and family. Those who knew him say they aren't surprised that Kim, in the last act of his life, demonstrated the ultimate expression of devotion to his wife and daughters.

The body of the 35-year-old Kim was discovered Wednesday in a rugged wilderness area in southern Oregon. He had set out across snow and ice with only tennis shoes to protect his feet. He had eaten little in the seven days since his car got stuck.

"Anyone that knows James will tell you that he would do anything to protect his family," said Jason Zemlicka, a friend of 10 years and former co-worker. "I know him, and he must have believed he was going to get somewhere."

Friends and co-workers now mourn Kim but say they will celebrate his success at helping to accomplish his most important goal during that desperate week in the woods: the rescue of his wife, Kati Kim, and the couple's two daughters, Penelope, 4, and Sabine, seven months.

Friends say that they couldn't think of anyone who could have fared any better than Kim in the same situation. He was known as a problem solver and a man with unlimited energy who never lost his cool. Kim was raising a family and holding down a full-time job as a product reviewer for CNET, while operating two retail stores with his wife and working on a book for McGraw-Hill about Microsoft's new digital-music player, the Zune.

"He was always trying to learn more, always gorging himself on new information...I don't think James slept much."
--Jasmine France,
CNET co-worker

Pretty doily Collars

Make your neck warm and lovely...
with delicate lace like knits from designer jewel lace. Most of these darlings are $25 and under!!

Sometime in 2001 the artist decided her bag needed some decoration on it. She started experimenting with different types of color, different types of thread, various shapes. Bead connectors came almost by themselves, and after a few weeks she had her first wearable bracelets, brooches, necklaces.

Here's the place to go:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=42088

The Holiday Rundown

Xmas eve went something like a Clark Griswald affair...(Xmas Vacation)
I nearly chipped my tooth on the chestnut stuffing and the conversation at the table made me laugh face down into my butternut squash. I nearly got a cramp. Mr. P's plump pheasants were tasty enough to save the meal.

here's the proof that David cut into the Jesus cookie.

Mr. P's sister made this cookie. David accepted that because she is Jewish perhaps she confused Jesus's birthday with Easter somehow. Anyhow this life like carmel creation was a a work of art

Christmas Day we decided to Dim Sum- and have fear factor like contests- only Noah and Mr. P were brave enough to taste the chicken feet. Proof that not everything deep fried tastes great

Miss cindy and I decided to take advantage of Boxer day- by attending the festivities of the mall with unwashed faces. Here are the exciting gold glitter Betsey J. platforms for the season

the abandoned santa photo stand was chock full of giant glitter cookies and candies

The Lure of Fairies: Vintage Filagree

I discovered these amazing gem artisans on Etsy.com while hunting for Christmas gifts for my family. The craftsmanship of VintageFilagree is true to the style of Art Nouveau jewelry designers. Each piece incorporates gems, stones or czech glass beads in an unusual way- creating a sort of magical piece reminscent of those pulled from a grandmother's treasure chest.

Check out the amazing bleeding heart glass drop earrings I purchased!!
Edie would love to dance in these dangles...

All the pieces you'll find at Vintage Filagree are gorgeous one of a kind and ORIGINAL brass filigree and glass designs. The filigrees they use are mostly original vintage brass filigrees and vintage glass gems. (Note the beautiful aged brass patina, are supplied by their favorite source Vintaj Natural Brass Co.)
All the work is intricately done by hand. The filigrees are hand rendered and/or layered to encase the vintage glass gems or designs.

A little bit about the history of filigree, mainly taken from Wikipedia encyclopedia:

Filigree (formerly written filigrann or filigrane) is a jewel work of a delicate kind made with twisted threads usually of gold and silver.
Though filigree has become a special branch of jewel work in modern times, it was anciently part of the ordinary work of the jeweler. Even before the 1800s the French and Italians used wire to wrap into intricate designs known as filigree. (modification of French filigrane and from Italian filigrana.) Per Wikipedia one example would be "Strings of large beads of gold, decorated with volutes, knots and other patterns of wire soldered over the surfaces. (See the "Antiquites du Bosphore Cimmerien", by Gille, 1854; reissued by S. Reinach, 1892, in which will be found careful engravings of these objects.)

The filigrees they use for their creations are stamped from brass and resemble fine lace work. They have been used for more than 100 years in the art of jewelry design. Mainly they were used as wraps for gemstones or cameos to create unique settings, but they can also be used as connectors or bases for pins or anything that inspires creativity.

The best thing about Vintage Filagree's designers Gina and Pura is that they not only create hippie spirited merchandise- but they actually LIVE that way. Check out their peaceful mantra on items sold--

"Aside from using the best materials available, the most important part of creating is to do it with love and a positive frame of mind! You could make the most beautiful piece, but if you're negative and hateful towards others, that negativive energy reflects right back onto your work (not to mention your life) bringing a dark cloud to your own piece. We are what we think and with our thoughts we make the world. Peace."

Most ITEMS are currently on SALE at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5001376

still proving good stuff comes from Ohio...

I recently discovered this great story on the PAPER mag blogs. Sure does prove that good things are still buried deep in the world waiting to be discovered. (in Ohio)

Two years ago, on a hunt for scrap metal and an I-beam, sculptor Steven Tatar walked around the corner from his studio to the recently closed Ohio Knitting Mills factory in Cleveland's industrial corridor. What happened next -- a chance meeting with the factory-owner's son, the discovery of thousands of unworn pieces of clothing -- led to the October opening of Boerum Hill's Ohio Knitting Mills store.
From 1927 to 2003 the original Ohio Knitting Mills factory manufactured garments for clients such as Pendleton, Jatzen, Sears and Roebuck & Co., Montgomery Ward and lesser known lines like Queen's Way to Fashion and Kerrybrooke. At its peak, the factory employed 700 union workers and took up an entire city block. Over the years, one or two copies of each garment made were archived along with cancelled but already completed orders, otherwise known as "dead stock." The owner's son, Gary Rand, gave Tatar access to the sealed vault of thousands and thousands of samples and Tatar soon realized he had discovered a perfectly preserved vestige of American craftsmanship.
Hoping to "do right" by the family, Tatar opened shop in Brooklyn in order to honor the legacy of these never-worn relics. With an edited collection of '47 to ‘74 men's and women's knitwear, the Ohio Knitting Mills store made its debut just in time for New York City's first crisp fall weekend.
Made of wool, linen, cotton, acrylic and nylon, the sweaters, capes, vests, skirts and dresses evoke a style and aesthetic that is at the same time both historic and fresh. The complexity of knitting techniques and the creative attention paid to details like buttons and trim serve as both a reminder of and inspiration for American innovation in design. Tatar intends for the shop to serve as a platform for future Ohio Knitting Mills lines.
I recently sat down at the Smith Street store with Tatar.
Phil Smrek: Your great-grandfather started American Greetings selling postcards out of a shoebox in Union Terminal on Cleveland's Public Square and your grandfather built it into a multi-billion dollar business. Is there a secret family recipe for building brands?
Steven Tatar: Absolutely. I learned from working in my family's business to know who you truly are, where you come from and to stay real to your roots. That's where a brand's soul lives and it can't be created artificially.
PS: What happens when you run out of original stock?
ST: Well, that's not going to happen too soon, but it will happen eventually. We're interested in creating new designs that reflect the quality and quirky colors and patterns of the archived pieces -- we have swatch samples back to the 1930s!
PS: How do you plan to maintain the tradition of American craftsmanship? Will you be able to produce new product in America?
ST: That's a very challenging and confronting question for us. It's well understood that manufacturing in America is rapidly disappearing. Many of the few remaining machines that our goods were made with have been destroyed. We're looking high and low for producers to collaborate with in order to make new goods, and if they're in the U.S., then all the better.
PS: Why do you feel there's been such a strong, visceral reaction to the brand?
ST: For practically every person who comes into our store, their initial reaction as they take in the bold colors and patterns and almost "outsider" styling is: "Wow, these are so cool!" And that's usually followed by curiosity and intrigue as they realize they don't quite have a reference point for our stuff. It's so unlike what's out there. Everyone wants to know the story of what they're looking at and touching. When we tell them, there is often an "Aha" moment, a sense of recognition and almost deep connecting for many people. Often times, they start to share their own stories of being from the Midwest (which I call the "New Old Country), and personal histories about manufacturing and industrialism… There's a genuine yearning for touching primary materials and making things with our hands and tools. In our own small and entrepreneurial way, with Ohio Knitting Mills, we're trying to reconnect with and share this heritage of making.
Ohio Knitting Mills is located at 231 Smith St., Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, (718) 596-7103. Visit the store's website for more info.
ohioknittingmills.com

the latest

I just posted some new t-shirts that I made this week on my etsy site (www.kimebuzzelli.etsy.com)

The t-shirts are rad- soft and in a variety of styles and sizes. So if you want to treat yourself to something comfy and nice this Xmas --go ahead.

Eggnog Anyone?

Thanks to our photographer pal Lisa Johnson, our Xmas card really turned out great. She not only has photo skills but has a funny art direction style too. For example...during this shoot she would drop lines like, "you have 2.5 kids and are about to enter the 99cent store..." or look past me-past the camera and stare off like you want to kill someone."
It was tough picking the perfect one for the Xmas card-here are some of the rejects:
(for best viewing click on the image to make bigger)

and the winner is

fun fabric Finder

Check out this happy magic seller on E-bay and all of her fab fabrics from the vintage past.

http://stores.ebay.com/majikhorse-vintage-a-go-go

Foiled

I have a new obsession...metallic foil. Sometimes when I discover a new process of creating things I get addicted. This week I learned how to lay down a hint of metallic shimmer on my silkscreened shirts. After you let it cool down- and then peel back...presto magic.

There are the latest things I've made for the holiday rush at Show Pony, let me know if you see something you fancy because there is small supply.

(all items available at show pony boutique-- (c) kime buzzelli

weiner sweater

I've been searching the web for cute things to buy people- or holiday inspiration--

What about getting someone a cool animal sweater for Xmas? Doesn't everyone love that?
Here are some goodies I saw on E-bay:
Velveteen owl dress by Tsumori

Thought this model made things look sweet

Gypsy Love Child

Japanese clothing designer Tsumori Chisato is awe inspiring. I first discovered Tsumori's clothing designs while visiting Japan. The dreamy fabrics and strange arrangements of colors are intoxicating. If you ask me- it seems that Tsumori is perhaps the love child of visionary gypsy Zandra Rhodes and some mystical pharoah. When I first laid eyes on Tsumori’s Spring 2007 line I was relieved. It seemed that everyone else was playing the fashion scene safe. This spread of quirky prints and hip headdresses are perfect for spring adventure. I've been told that when Tsumori’s new lines get ready to be delivered to shops, girls call and rush the boutiques and hand over their credit card numbers to buy it out. I can imagine...considering I could barely edit out a single look when sharing these images.
With Tsumori Chisato, fans can at least get the clothes to go with their fantasy- as seen in her 2007 spring collection that was given to them like another daydream.

this one reminds me of a gorgeous Gustave Klimt painting pattern...

The Habit of Energy and Rashness

The Habit of Energy and Rashness (Oh feverish, sleepless) was a show title from something I did in 2004 at the four x four gallery. It was this awesome lil space on yucca near Sofia Coppolla's shop. Recently I discovered a disc of photos from that installation from my pal Jeaneen. It's nice sometimes when you forget to document things from your life but your friends realize someday you will want to have proof of love labor lost.

This is what it looked like the day I had to tear it down...

(kime buzzelli artwork 2004)

I want this...

I found this on E-bay this week and fell in love with it. I know some people don't dig the butterfly scene, but I think this has that weird old quality that is pretty amazing, especially with all my stuff.
Anyway, if you can score this for me at Xmas I promise to write you lovely letters drenched in drawings and stickers every week from my letter writing armoire.
It could be worth it for you--

Just in time for the Holidays!

Although none of my readers were compelled to add a comment to the DOll blog-- this new release of the Mr.P edited video clip should stir some replies. This was recorded at a DOLL Estate Sale recently- and the soundtrack is by Jason Batchko-

Xmas Dream List

When I say Xmas "dream" list, I mean things that I would never actually get because the cost is too high or the item is practically impossible to find. I had the best of intentions this year to start my own shopping and crafty gift making early- but alas...I'll be lucky if the cards go out on time. Here are some of the things I would ask santa if I crawled onto his lap this year...

1.)

Tell me this isn't the PERFECT book!
2.)

3.)

4.) Italian VOGUE

5.)

6.) The BABYDOLL new DVD

7.)Tracy Nakayama painting

8.) Bikram YOGA Classes.? I probably didn't even spell that right- let alone do exercise.
9.) Electric Tea Kettle- because everytime I make tea I leave boiling water in the next room til it burns

Michelle

I'm not sure when it hit me- but I have formed a sweet liking to actress Michelle Williams. I loved her in that movie DICK with Kirsten Dunst and in Me Without You. She graces the cover of the new Nylon and looks like a doll in the photo spread. The article really exposes her smart and shy nature, revealing her bookish desire to hide away from the miserable spot light. I was breathless when she wore that bright yellow dress to the awards ceremony. It was like a fashion prank- looking so darling and daring to wear yellow. I think she seems like she may survive the Hollywood circus untarnished. Look at her hanging with Kim Gordon, (the queen of cool). Combine all that coolness with a hot boyfriend and a new baby- presto goodness

New Love Interests

Welcome to the Dollhouse

WOW. Miss Cindy called today and said grab your camera and get over to this estate sale pronto. Of course I listened and was blown away. Upon entering the 60's style home--mounds and mounds of dolls piled four feet high on tables were visible. Imagine waist high Pope dolls in glass cases- 60's display dolls, flamenco fanned beauties, creepy cabbage patch kids trapped in plastic. These dolls were seriously everywhere the eye could roam. Down the hallways and into the back dusty bedroom- more more more dolls awaited. Little shelves practically collapsing from the armies of Napoleans and Indians and Dancers. Witnessing this alarming scene- was disturbing yet morbidly intoxicating, like no one would believe the immense clutter without proof. This made my mother's Xmas ornament/decoration collection look timid.

Even Shirley Temple was there-- at least 3 X over. Decked in her favorite lollipop gear. There were even glass cases with all the Beatles- Princess Di and Charles... Mother Teresa, Moses...
did I mention the Unsnatchable Kids?
Oh yeah...they encourage calling 911 and just saying no to strangers

The video does the tour better justice. Yes, there is a video.
And proof that even rock stars like to score a collectable space shuttle cabbage patch doll.

The owner of the dolls and house said that she was merely moving and would like to keep all of them...then she added that this was only a quarter of her collection.
whoa
Check out the Loot I scored there-- all for $3 dollars each or less!! WOW

Wolfgang Puck was M.I.A.

Woke up to this amazing surprise...my new signed copy of EDIE: Factory Girl by David Dalton and Nat Finkelstein. That's right Mr. Nat Finkelstein signed my book to "my favorite fan". We have been corresponding via email ever since he discovered a quote of his on my blog. And let me tell you- the book is even better then I thought it could be. Page after page of lush coloful photos and wonderful details about the Factory parties.
On his first introduction to Edie, Nat Finkelstein recalls her walking in with a Belgian Lace shawl over her head, and Andy Warhol saying to her "cooperate with this guy he's going to make you famous."

And make her famous he did...photographing her road to self destruction.

Ok- on to last night's party...
The Give Large art opening went off well. I sold one piece- before I even got there, and then another later on. The event was a class act, although I wish more food trays went by. I boasted about the abundance of food by Mr. Puck but only recognized a few samples slide by.

GIVE LARGE

Wednesday night- Dec 7th- I'm in an art show at the Hollywood and Highland! It's for a great cause and in a huge space--did I mention that Wolfgang Puck is making the food? If that is the only reason you come out I won't judge.

Here's the flyer- don't fret about the r.s.v.p.-- just say you once slept with me- or that your my half sister.
kidding.

I have a lot of stuff (7 things!) at this and the proceeds go to art programs for kids who really need crafts.

Bake SALe weekend

Another ARt show weekend. Six years- every first Saturday- that's a lot of socials.
This weekend the Show Pony featured the art of Lianne Ricci- an artist who creates 60's inspired whimsical Playmate collages.

Nina was looking lovely in her medieval cape and aqua eyeshadow. Her shop had the big debut of the Darling DOLL SHOW.

At Goldmine Garage --Cindy showcased the Rock photography of her sister Lisa Johnson. Lisa has been snapping rockstars since Cindy was a mere mini Lolita. The block was packed because Billy Corrigan of the Smashing Pumpkins was among the party crowd...surrounded by fans.

The next day we staged our infamous X-mas kick off Bake SALE...

Fran and Sandra made gourmet fancy treats-

and Brandy Flower came by with his streetside Silkscreen train--"Hit and Run"

here's one of the Nina-Kelly-Kime dolls for sale

We survived another holiday sale.

Worn and Weathered

I just bought this book For The Love of Old.
This beautiful coffee table book by Mary Randoph Carter contains precious photos of home treasures. She confesses that she worships everything tarnished, chipped, rusty, faded, patched or peeling.
Every colorful page looks yellowed and stained like a loved novel. The nostalgia of her pieces are documented and include darling anecdotes.
She states right off the bat:

"In an era that is desperate to be young and new and hip and cool, I choose old. This book is not an apology nor a revolt , but a celebration of things that endure, not only the worn and weathered things in our houses, but those of the heart, including love, emotion, character, and integrity."

She also recalls how a spider web can spin romance and rekindle a childhood tale.
And tis true that spider webs get a bad rap. Good thing that Charlotte's Web has somewhat changed that old perception, huh?

Complete

Wish me luck as my work ventures off to the ART Miami Basel Show.

all artwork (c) kimebuzzelli

CAll me: old fashioned

Ever since I was a kid- I've been obsessed with paper. I think more highly of it than gold. I love to look at old papers, precious wallpapers, sheet music, peeling paper signs etc...
My Nana, who recently passed away saved all of my old paper dolls, puppets, menus, and drawings. I used to think as long as I could imagine it- draw it then it was was real- somewhat like Harold and the Purple Crayon I guess. So I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when my friends 7 year old daughter came by and showed me her cell phone. It was all hand made from paper- a genuine flip-phone complete with antenna, time and date. WOW.
Things like this really make me happy. I despise kids who have no imagination and are destined for Xmas lists chock full of electric gadgets they will only play with for 10 minutes.
Give me a cardboard box and a set of markers anyday.

More Paintings

(c)kime buzzelli art- )

work in progress- tiny dancers...