cathy of california

a modern housewife, 1955

can you believe how glamourous she is in her modern kitchen? i just love her carousel print apron and that chicken & rooster motif wallpaper. this amazing image is a slide from the collection of none other than charles phoenix, best known for his books, slideshows and school bus tours.

charles has a show coming up on friday may 11 at the ford ampitheater in hollywood. trust me, you're not going to want to miss this one and you better be prepared to laugh out loud! there will be lots of surprises, special guests, and AMBROSIA.

please visit charles' website for all the details and you can buy tickets on the ford ampitheater website. and to make what promises to be a fun evening even that much more fun pre-show picnicking at the ford is encouraged.

(image from "americana the beautiful" by charles phoenix)

make yourself 1000 flowers, 1970s

it's suddenly all about loom flowers! after my post yesterday i ran out to the craft shop to buy some ribbon straw because i decided that some of my mushroom pincushions really should decorated with ribbon straw flowers instead of felt. lo & behold as soon as i got home i found that sarah of knitting-and.com had sent me a link to her amazing (& quite extensive) small looms tutorial.

of course i'm going to make my flowers using some of my vintage looms. pictured here is the back cover of the instruction booklet and 4 looms from the "flower flair" kit by mon tricot that i found at my favorite old school craft store.

mushroom pincushion, 1967

in case you didn't already notice i am totally obsessed with crafts of the 60s & 70s. my collection of vintage craft publications is getting bigger all the time courtesy of ebay. and thanks to this blog i get the pleasure of sharing some of my finds with you. i hope my posts bring you some inspiration or help bring back a happy little crafty memory.

hazel pearson's craft books make up a huge part of my collection. pictured here is a project from her 1967 "burlap bounty". i was so delighted when i ran across it that i just had to make my own version.

i have received very good response to my mushroom pincushions at the craft fairs i sell at. you can see some on the flikr set i have devoted to them and i just added several to my etsy shop. reform school in silver lake carries a few of them as well as lots of really great things from many independent designers.

(image from "burlap bounty" hazel pearson handicrafts, 1967)

avant garde assemblage wall plaque, 1963

"handcrafts in unusual modern designs furnish our hallway, lend charming accents to patio beyond."

there's alot going on here on the cover of mc call's, it's too bad the art director had the stylist go crazy with all of those flowers & that greenery. if you take a good look there are a few really cool pieces of pottery. but what really stands out to me is that louise nevelson inspired wall plaque.

that "three-dimensional assemblage" was created from an assortment of unpainted wooden objects such as trinket boxes, stamp boxes, compartmented boxes, recipe boxes, nesting boxes, wooden figure forms and coasters. according to the instructions it's a "truly creative project" and it's suggested that you "use your own originality in adapting this technique".

irma bolley (who you might remember from my earlier "creative stitchers" post) is credited with creating this piece. i think it's so cool that irma took some cues from what was going on in the art world at the time and brought them to the pages of mc call's.

lousie nevelson (1899-1988) was considered to be one of the most important sculptors of the twentieth century. she had also had amazing personal style and was know to favor furs and very large unconventional accessories. there will be a show of her work at the jewish museum in new york may 5 - september 16.

(cover of " mc calls needlework & crafts" spring/summer 1963)

macrame plant hanger, string art + dried flowers, 1974

here's a little more crafty goodness brought to us by lynn paulin! check out this amazing "2 pot beaded jute hanger" - i've never seen a plant hanger that holds 2 pots. made using 7 different knots (lark's head, alternating square, diagonal double half hitch, horizontal double half hitch, half knot twist and square knots), beads and a manzanita branch this one looks like a project for the more advanced crafter.

and how about that string art and those dried flowers!

(from "how to make plant hangers" by lynn paulin, 1974)

save the date! bazaar bizarre san francisco may 19-20

please join me and oodles of other vendors may 19 - 20 for bazaar bizarre san francisco which will be part of make magazine's maker faire. last years event was super fun and there were tons of things to do. i'm sure you'll probably want to come for both days and bring the entire family.

please vistit the bazaar bizarre website for all the details. if you can make it please stop by my table & say hi! i've been very busy making lots of new handicrafts.

(that's me at last year's event in a photo by natalie from craft: magazine)

lilly pulitzer's little cotton shifts, april 1964

it's pouring rain right now here in los angeles. even though we're in a drought and desperately need the rain, i'm really just not one of those people who loves a rainy day. i prefer warm weather. in fact i'm sure i'll probably end up living in the desert some day. there i could wear my flip flops and lillys every day (paired with an enid collins bag, of course).

if you've never worn a vintage lilly shift you really don't know what your missing. they are very well made, super comfortable and very flattering - they look great on all sorts of different body types. and don't let the preppy socialite sterotype fool you. lilly designed these dress for everyone - both jackie kennedy and her housekeeper wore lillys.

i am so inspired by lilly's story. i think it just shows you that if you have something creative going on inside of you that you just have to let it out.

lilly pulitzer came from a wealthy family and married very well. she lead a happy life and had 3 children. but then things took a turn for her and she suffered a nervous breakdown which was attributed to a mix of exhaustion and boredom. she sought treatment and while in the hospital the doctors told her that there was nothing really wrong with her and that she just needed to have something to do. one thing lead to another and by using her creative energy she created a fashion empire.

(image of "palm beach matrons & their daughters modeling lillys around a fountain on ocean boulevard, april 1964" from vanity fair magazine july 2003)

california design in native color orange, 1962

"introduced to california mid 19th century by the mission fathers, the valencia orange tree eventually covered much of california. one hundred years of orange fruit as a part of the native landscape has naturalized orange to indigenous color. the california designer, therfore, understandably employs it as a design tool."

pictured here is a sunflower motif canvas wall hanging and stool by wes williams, table by van keppel-green, clock by peter pepper products, urns by john follis for architectural pottery and wallpaper by gere kavanaugh.

it's no wonder why orange is one of my favorite colors!

(from "california design/eight" pasadena museum of art, 1962)

otto natzler 1908-2007

otto natzler was born in germany and his first job was designing the color schemes for men's neckties. his passion for clay began when he met gertrud who he had fallen in love with and soon married. their experiments in clay grew into a collaboration where she threw the pots and he did the glazing. world events forced them to flee to los angeles in 1937 where they started the work that would lead them to rank among the most important studio potters of the mid 20th century. pictured above are the natzlers working in their studio in 1940.

after gertrud's untimely passing in 1971 otto did not work for several years. gertrud did leave behind about 200 pots which otto did eventually glaze. while continuing to perfect the over 1,000 glazes that he developed in his lifetime, he finally started his own slab work (as pictured below in a shot from 1982). he remained very active (attributed to his yoga practice) well into his 90s.

the natzler's work is totally beyond breathtaking, i really can't find the words to describe how i feel when i see one of their pieces in person. for those of you not familar with their work i hope the picture of the yellow bowl (below) from 1956 gives you an idea.

i had the honor of being introduced to otto at a museum opening several years ago. it was such a joy for me to shake his hand and tell him how much i admire his work.

(all images from "gertrud and otto natzler - collaboration/solitude" a 1993 exibition catalog for a show at the american craft museum)

dinah designs!, 1974

dinah shore had an afternoon TV talk show from 1970-1980. all i really remember about it was that david bowie (i had to rush home from school for that one) was one of her guests, but it's a safe bet that in addition to interviewing celebrities she must have also done some on-air crafting.

needlepoint was a huge deal during the 70s and lots of famous people (such as rosey grier) got really into it. dinah's kits offered a "whole new system. it's easier because the fine imported cotton canvas is hand painted - not stenciled - and is color-keyed to match the 100% wool colorfast yarns."

dinah selected each design with "today's woman" in mind.

(a 1974 ad for "dinah's corner" needlepoint kits)