Giving Thanks

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Happy Turkey Day

Thanksgiving 1935
Originally uploaded by dragonflydesignstudio

In our house its Tofurky day. Hope you are all surrounded by great food and loved ones.

Depleted Texas lakes expose ghost towns, graves

Found in Lake Buchanan.

Off with her Head!

With that other holiday approaching the quest is on for the gifts with a darker twist. In the mail today was a RedEnvelope.com catalog. A set of Alice in Wonderland catchall dishes caught my eye. The Off with her Head dish is on my wish list.

Etchpop - Create, Etch, Print, Share!

Fabulous wood block print kit concept that needs to be funded in the next 15 days. The best part is for a donation of only $25 you can get the 4X6 kit if the project is funded. Please watch the video or go here to learn more.


As you may have noticed I am passionate about supporting local artists. A big thanks to everyone who helped the movie and books for the homeless projects. :o )

Roller Skating Costume

Chicago Costume Works 1916
Originally uploaded by dragonflydesignstudio

Halloween Samhain Irish Barm Brack Fruitcake Recipe

Adding new traditions to the Halloween celebration is something we try to do every year. There are so many old fashioned games, recipes, and craft projects to try. The great nephew is old enough now that he likes to bake with grandma and grandpa. For Halloween 2012 we plan to invite the niece and her son to bake a Barm Brack Fruitcake. Then serve it to family with hot cider on Halloween. Found the entire kit here.

The Day of the Dead: A Pictorial Archive of Dia de Los Muertos

Our local used book store downtown is kind of hit or miss for the more unique books. I was delighted to find a used copy of this book. The clip art CD was still enclosed. This was back in September and now I find myself working on a project that will use images from the book on fabric. The best place to flip through the images is at Amazon.com but I have found it for less so do shop around. I own many clip art books of skeletal images. This one has a few images that were completely new to me.

Mourning Tea

Mourning Traditions Tea
Originally uploaded by dragonflydesignstudio

The culmination of the mourning exhibit was our 11 am and 2 pm mourning traditions tea on the 5th. This shot shows the dining room and the back parlor. There was seating in the front parlor as well. 28 could be seated in the 3 rooms. Both teas had sold out with a waiting list.

It was a bit chaotic getting set up and ready for the first tea but things ran smoother by the second seating. Marge Harding was the speaker for this event. She is fabulous and her collection of mourning items is just amazing. She starts out in character as a widow who has come to Deepwood to drape the house for the owner who is in seclusion. She explains many of the traditions that go hand in hand with death and grieving in the 1800s. My favorite part is when she describes coffins with bells in case someone was buried alive they can ring the bell and literally be saved by the bell. Audiences love that bit.

While Marge was taking questions and passing around some of her collection the 3 course tea was being served. New caterer that I think is a keeper. At the end of the tea guests were escorted upstairs to view the exhibit. After the first tea the staff reset things and I got to eat some of the good food. The wild mushroom tartlet and the death by chocolate cupcake were so tasty.

It was a long day and so worth it. Guests enjoyed themselves and I had the bonus of talking with an old friend. Made a new friend or two as well.

Lecture

Decoding Cemetery Signs and Symbols
Originally uploaded by dragonflydesignstudio

As part of the mourning exhibit Deepwood hosted a lecture on Cemetery Symbology by Kuri Gill. Looking at images of gravestones, many of them local, is always fascinating to me. The article that ran in the local paper on the event can be found here.

Catching up

Story Telling in the Solarium
Originally uploaded by dragonflydesignstudio

So many things that have kept me busy since Halloween. Halloween day was the children's party at Deepwood. Food, games, crafts, music, and face painting. The carriage house, solarium, and the tent covered tennis court were used for this event. I was parking lot witch making sure once the lot filled that families found somewhere to park.

It was a lot of fun and the parents got in to the spirit of things. Many families were all in costume.

The day after Halloween was of course the post Halloween sales. Scored one of the big glow in the dark skeletons at Target. Let's face it I always spend more than I planned at Target on the 1st. Goodwill stores mark the Halloween goodies down too. Found a kids fairy costume that I stripped the fiber optic light system out of for $4. Bought some old hats at a $1 each to cut up for new period hat bases.

It was a good Halloween and the yard stuff was finally brought in today.