cathy of california

"the arts of daily living" los angeles county fair, pomona, california 1954

the 1954 fine arts exibition "the arts of daily living" at the los angeles county fair featured the work of some amazing artists & designers.

in the living room: mural by richard haines, sculpture by albert stewart, benches by georg jensen and ceramics by bernard kester, eunice prieto and peter voulkos.

the room in the center picture was designed by house beautiful magazine and is accessorized with ceramics by harrison mcintosh, gertrude & otto natzler, rupert deese and bob stocksdale. tile mural by phil dyke.

the furniture in the dining room was made by george nakashima and the table is set with pottery by marguerite wildenhain.

(postcards from my collection)

marshall fields window display, 1959

since i'm a window dresser there's alot for me to love about this picture. the oufits the are just fabulous, those wicker monkeys are delightful and oh my goodness that banana! that mannequin is really intended to be holding a mirror, but what the heck a banana goes much better with the theme.

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.

i just wanted to remind you that charles has a show tomorrow night at the ford ampitheater in hollywood. you're not going to want to miss all the surprises, special guests, and AMBROSIA that charles has in store. and with the kind of week we've had here in LA i think the we could all use a nice evening out and have a laugh or two.

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.

i'll see you there!

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

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)

pottery shack, laguna beach, 1960s

it's more than likely that everything i have been blogging about this past week could have been purchased at the pottery shack in laguna beach. when i was growing up, the pottery shack was a big pilgrimage for my family at least once a year. i remember piles and piles of dishes everywhere.

if you take a close look at the picture you'll see some garden pottery stacked up just behind that 1966 cadillac fleetwood. looks like some architectural pottery in avocado green and harvest gold to me! i just love how they hammered plates along the roofline. and don't even get me started on their sign.

that statue of the man wearing the red shirt that you see at the lower left is of eiler larsen, better known as the "the greeter" of laguna beach. he would stand on the corner & wave to all who passed by. the pottery shack is long gone and something else is being built in it's place. but they kept the statue and last time i passed by you could see eiler's face peeking up and over the construction barracade.

marimekko shop, bazaar del mundo, san diego, 1970's

after my post yesterday, i got to thinking more and more about bazaar del mundo. i did a little looking around my house & was very excited to find this photo featuring the marimekko shop. just wish we had a better view of that flag and the pink, orange and black fabric graphic on the wall. and i am just going nuts over those suspended wire display forms.

the dresses in that display case on the first level are for sure not marimekko. they look more like gunne sax or young edwardian to me!

burlap fish tote, 1964

my collection of vintage craft publications is a never ending source of inspiration for me. they are chock full of so many images of amazing craft projects. but i have to admit that sometimes i'm a little bit frustrated. it's great to see a professionally styled shot in mc call's but sometimes i wonder who really made those projects and how did they turn out?

well, my friend charles phoenix is occassionaly able to help me out with this problem. charles has an unbelievable collection of vintage slides. you can imagine how thrilled i was when he showed me this one of the lady with her lovely fish tote!

tote image from "mc call's needlework & crafts" spring/summer 1964
vintage slide courtesy of charles phoenix

beatnik valentine wishes, 1965

"valentine we could make such beautiful music together.......if you would only play along"

during the 1960s, in an attempt to be more "mod", greeting card companies put out a new larger rectangular card. they were brightly colored, vividly illustrated and humorous (and sometimes just a wee bit "naughty"). they were printed on glossy cardstock and some were even flocked. gibson greeting cards had the "studio" line and hallmark's was (i think) "hi brow".

speaking of valentine's day, natalie over at craft: magazine wanted me to let you guys know about their "recycle your heart" valentine's day card contest featuring crafty celebrity judges and some nifty prizes. for everything you need to know please go to the craftzine.com blog. good luck!

(a "smile contemporaries" greeting card by united card company, 1965)

birthday party, los angeles, late 1960s or early 1970s

this is from a collection of slides that a friend found at a local estate sale. i love this image because it looks exactly like the birthday parties i went to when i was little. i am sure there was alot of giggling done that day.

the girls have enjoyed some cactus cooler (to this day still my favorite soda) in plastic tumblers and a few scoops of vanilla ice cream in some aqua melmac bowls. and don't get me started on those floral placemats!

it looks like all of their moms were home sewers. i adore the polka dot, plaid and floral fabric prints. too bad we can't get a better look at the dress the camera shy girl is wearing. the birthday girl and her little sister got some extra special pom pom trim. and the white eyelet collar is super cute.

the lucky birthday girl has received the "betty bird pillow craft" kit. i'm sure that was lots of fun to make and i hope she is still craftin' today.

(you're probably wondering why i'm blogging about a birthday party on new years day. well, today happens to be my birthday!)

happy 2007 everyone!!!

happy new year!

i found some little photo books at an estate sale in pacific palisades. it looked like each year the hostess compiled photos of her new years eve party and gave them to the guests. for the cover she photographed a tableau that included a few party decorations. i'm pretty sure that she was also a crafter. look real close at that last picture and you'll spot the yarn poodle bottle cozy!

happy new year to all of you.

thank you for all the love + support you've given me in 2006!

here's to a great 2007!
xo
cathy

holidays ahead from sunset house, 1963

"america's most unusual gifts...by mail from sunset house"

based in the "sunset building in beverly hills, california" the sunset house catalog offered a wide array of gifts. this catalog offered such gift items as bourbon flavored toothpaste ($1) and an oil painting done by a chimpanzee ($9.98). more practical things such as slippers and tea towels were also available. they also had locations on shopping malls.

i loved the sunset house catalogs when i was little. i did all my shopping there the first year i was allowed to do my own christmas shopping for my parents. i had my dad drive me to the mall. i don't remember what i bought but i do know that i had $8 to spend. sadly the chimp painting was out of my budget.