Crazy Crafty: Clean as a Whistle!

California Living: The Magazine of Western Homes & Gardens - November, 1947
Nothing quite says "California House & Gardens" or "Western" like
a living fashion plate at Rockefeller Center in New York City.

So you thought soap carving was a pastime relegated to inmates at your local correctional facility with the end result being a "shank" or a faux handgun?  Tut, tut.  According to one Ms. Lilliace M. Mitchell, "Soap's A Lot of Fun," and soap carving is the ideal activity "for your next party."  Interested?  Read on.

"Soap's A Lot of Fun"
I think I can identify almost every one of the hand-carved figurines above:
rabbit, Springer Spaniel, penguin, somber duckling,
what the baby of a rooster and a moose antler would look like,
breeching dolphin or banana split, woodpecker with a pompadour 

Don't fret over that empty knick-knack shelf!
For a dollar's worth of Ivory and an evening's worth of fun, you can fill that shelf
with handmade beauty!  Don't forget to coat each carving with clear, nail lacquer.

"Here is an example of what you may be able to accomplish after a sufficient amount of practice."
I'm glad we're not setting the "bar" too high, but I think we should leave the carving of nude,
bathing figures to the inmates.

I will be bold and issue a preemptive "You're welcome," for supplying you with the smash hit of your next smart dinner party or apres-theatre soiree.  I can just imagine the looks of astonishment you will receive when you afford each guest his or her own bar of Lifebuoy or Lux and the "stray nails," "discarded manicure implements," and "pen points no longer used for writing."  Certainly, neither you nor your party will soon be forgotten!

Giving "Clean as a whistle" a whole new meaning!
Ah, yes, but how clean is a whistle?

I am not immune to the thrill of soap carving!  I grabbed a
 cake of Lever 2000 Fresh Aloe and carved a fully-functional
soap whistle.  Perfect for the times when one slips and falls
in the shower.

Indeed, soap IS a lot of fun!  Happy Carving!

BONUS: A timely, cartoon featured in the article.

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Sew What?! Letting the Cat Out of the Bag!

I am not a cat person.  Truth be told, I am not an anything person as I am allergic to just about everything.  Whatever gene it is that makes people melt at the sight of sweet, little kittens playing with an over-sized ball of yarn is the same one that was replaced in me by the gene that makes my eyes swell shut so I can't even see those precious, little kittens.  I have nothing against animals, or a person's deep bond with them; I only mention it because as I was browsing through some vintage issues of Better Living, I found a cat that changed my thinking and my life. 

Better Living - October 1951

The Cat's Whiskers Bag on the cover of the October 1951 issue of Better Living seemed like an ideal wacky tacky project.  It became even wackier seeing as it is February 21 and the purse is described as an "Amusing Handbag for Fall."  Leave it to me to disobey the better thinking of the editors at Better Living.  Anyhow, despite my hyper-histamine reaction to all things feline, I set out to make the cat's whiskers bag.  Below are the materials list and the instructions from the magazine should you choose to make a Cat's Whiskers Bag of your own.

Materials:

* 1/4 yd. of felt

* A bit of contrasting felt (I used vinyl)

* 2 Buttons for eyes

* 5 Pipe cleaners

* Zipper

* Embroidery floss

The instructions for this "Better Living original."

In true wacky tacky fashion, I abandoned the instructions rather early on.  The finished bag is supposed to measure 7.25" in diameter.  That seemed rather petite to me, so I just used a dinner plate for the circle template and kind of free-handed everything else.  The instructions indicate felt as the material to use, when it is clear from the photograph that the cover girl's purse is made from the same corduroy as her smart hat and coat.  Clearly, the actual purse is only inspired by the cover photo.  In turn, the wacky tacky version is also not an exact replica.  Because I increased the scale of the bag, I had to size-up the eyes and ears as well.  The bag went together very easily but it should be noted that I was rather careless and didn't employ expert techniques (read - hello, hot glue).

I used gray craft felt because it was on sale and it seemed to me that
a cat face bag wouldn't get a lot of use.  I really just intended the bag
 for blog purposes only.  When I showed it to Mary, however, she (also
not a cat lover) squealed and said that it was cool.  I explained that it
 would probably last through only one or two uses.  I am not sure of the
 lifespan of craft felt and pipe cleaners.

Resources from the back of Better Living.
I looked up Bates Fabrics and the only mention I could find
was in a blog post from What I Found.

The finished Cat's Whiskers Bag.
Aside from the felt and pipe cleaners, I used only what was in the
stash including the zipper, iridescent, aqua vinyl, and vintage,
faceted lucite buttons.  MEOW!!!

I am still deathly allergic to cats, but I will "let the cat out of the bag" and admit that there may be a little room for a cat-lover in all of us.


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Just SLIDE Over Here and Give Me a Moment!

Yesterday we had the wonderful opportunity to go out to Palm Springs for a little taste of Palm Srings Modernism Week.  We woke early and motored out to the Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum for a special slideshow presentation by Charles Phoenix.

Mr. Tiny & Mary around the book stalls.
We were there as audience members and active participants.  I've always been told that I have a great face
for radio and I was afraid that I would scare people off,  but I think we actually drew a pretty good crowd.
Okay, okay...Mary and the books didn't hurt either.

The beach ball (one of many) was representative of the show's theme,
"Pools, Patios, & Barbecues" - a celebration of American backyard culture
and an extension of the larger museum exhibit entitled "Backyard Oasis."

Speaking of beach balls, they were flying before the show!

The star of the show, Charles Phoenix, King of Kodachrome,
Ambassador of Americana, Keeper of the Kitsch, Retro Slideshow Showman
Extraordinaire,and dare I say, connoisseur of wacky tacky, standing in front 
of the first slide of the series - a kid caught mid-air as he dives into his 
backyard swimming pool from one of those great, old, springy, diving boards
 that have been banished from existence.

Each image in the show was thoughtfully culled from a collection of over
70,000 slides.  The shrieks of delight from the audience that accompanied
the advance of every frame cemented the fact that it was going to be a
crowd-pleasing show.  There were so many slides that I told myself that I was
going to remember and use as inspiration for design projects that, unfortunately,
have already been lost to age and ADD.  One that really stuck with
me, however, was a slide of people at a backyard luau laying on their stomachs
in a ring around a watermelon spiked with booze and straws.  Each person
claimed a straw and drank from the melon!  I loved it not just for the sheer genius and
novelty of the idea, but also because it showed a group of people actually having fun
at a party.  I think we get caught up in being so sophisticated and taking ourselves so
seriously that we forget to drop the facade and enjoy the party!

Mary, Charles, and Mr. Tiny.
What a colorful bunch of bananas!
Dig Mary's rattan, turtle, basket purse.

After the show, we adjourned to King's Highway
at the Ace Hotel for lunch.

This is what happens when you hand over
camera duties to someone else.

David & Susan, the reigning King & Queen of 3D! 

You can see the 3D camera that David holds has a viewer

attached that really makes the images come to life!

Cool!  Cool!  Cool!

The only way we were able to get a group shot was in the mirror.
It's a modernist take on the last supper.

No trip to the desert is complete without a trip to the date farm.
But which way do we go?

Overall, it was a most marvelous kind of day in our local desert.  If you have never seen a Charles Phoenix retro slideshow or if you are not yet a fan, do yourself a favor and get with it!!!  His surname is no accident, like a phoenix from the ashes, he resurrects not just long-forgotten images, but a pastime once doomed to obsolescence, and turns them into performance art.  His shows are delightful and as a showman, he takes the notion of a "boring family slideshow" and turns it on its ear!  Make a point of signing up for the "Slide of the Week" emails at charlesphoenix.com where you can also see a list of upcoming shows, purchase books, and view videos of his test kitchen and appearances on Martha Stewart and Conan O'Brien.  Also, be sure to like Charles Phoenix on Facebook.  What are you waiting for?


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Kitsch-en Kounter: Pineapple Upside-Down Loaf

What is it that makes the tropics so alluring?  Elvis knew the secret.  Is it the gently swaying palms, the lilting melody of the ukulele, the lapping of crystalline waves of the purest blue, the swishing of grass skirts as wahines hula into your heart?  Yes.  But for Elvis and me, it is also the delicious tropical food.

"Aloha Oe" - Elvis Presley (1961)

It has been a while since my last "Kitsch-en Kounter" post because while I regularly pore over vintage issues of Collier's and McCall's looking for fun and strange recipes, it is really tough to find one that is not just funny but actually tasty.  I hate waste and it is important to me to find a recipe worth the investment of time and the cost of ingredients.  It has happened to me many times over - that moment when I am completely overcome with the brilliance of an entirely-original idea only to do a quick search online and discover that I had been bested by people much smarter  - or at least quicker on the draw.  Well, the idea for Teriyaki Pineapple Upside-Down Meatloaf has been brewing in the back of my mind for quite some time and I finally found the motivation to make it today.  I searched for any incarnation of a pineapple upside-down meatloaf and was pleased to find that none existed!!!  So here, in its world premiere, I introduce to the universe, TERIYAKI PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN MEATLOAF!

Truthfully, I am not one who really follows a recipe very closely.  I love to cook but half the fun is in the spontaneity.  So, in true wacky tacky fashion, here is a vague indication of the things you will need for a Teriyaki Pineapple Upside-Down Meatloaf.  If you're the type that needs a detailed recipe, I encourage you to let it go and just get wacky!

1  17oz. Bottle Prepared Teriyaki Glaze
1  Can Pineapple rings
Maraschino Cherries
Your Best Meatloaf Recipe

In a greased pan place as many pineapple rings as will fit comfortably (I used an angel food cake pan which to fill even halfway takes an unholy amount of meatloaf mixture and the results will leave you eating meatloaf for the next week).  In the center of each ring place a maraschino cherry.  Using about one third of the teriyaki sauce, cover the pineapple rings/cherries (this will create a glaze).  I used the rest of the teriyaki sauce inside the meatloaf mixture (usually, I would make my own out of soy sauce, garlic, honey, ginger, etc. but in the interest of keeping it simple, I used prepared).  Fill the pan with the your favorite meatloaf (we grew up on ground turkey) and bake until cooked through.  Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to rest.  Turn it out onto a serving platter and garnish as desired.

Like a true Hawaiian plate lunch, I think it is best to serve your Pineapple Upside-Down Loaf with steamed rice and macaroni salad.

As delicious as a Pineapple Upside-Down Loaf may be, it is only as good as the table on which it is served.  So, I decided to bring a few tropical delights out of storage and set the mood by setting the table.

A vintage, tropical-print, tablecloth.
This was the first cloth in what has developed into a greater collection.
(stay tuned for a future post on that)
As you can see, I did a rather perfunctory
 job at pressing out the creases.  I refuse to over think it because
 once the whole table is set, the wrinkles are barely noticeable.

I placed some leaves down and topped them with bamboo placemats,
highlighted by yellow, cotton placemats (folded in half lengthwise),
bamboo-handled flatware, and plain white porcelain dinnerware.

The finished placesetting.
Who's ready for some PUDL?!

Mary said it looked a little naked without rice in the middle.

I think that was actually a pretty good call.

So there it is.  An island of meatloaf amidst a sea of fluffy, white rice. 

PUDL is just one more thing that is NOT included on Mr. Tiny's current diet, but if the sounds of joy coming from the diners in the next room are any indication, PUDL is a hit!  If you decide to make your own PUDL for Sunday dinner or your upcoming Valentine's Day festivities, please let me know how it turns out.  Good luck and good eating!


Cheers & Aloha!

Mr. Tiny

wacky tacky Icons: Tretchikoff "The King of Kitsch"

Chinese Girl (1950) - Vladimir Tretchikoff

You might remember my friend Suzy, the Disney artist/cast member whose retina scan not only gives her unlimited access to the archives but once gained her entry into "the freezer" where she took the opportunity to do body shots off of Walt Disney.  Well, it is nice to have friends like that who are always on the lookout for wacky tacky-ana.  Knowing my predilection for art history and popular culture, she sent me a link to the article that told the backstory behind one of the most famous and most-famously reproduced paintings in the world - Chinese Girl by Vladimir Tretchikoff.  Dig this, the "Green Lady" was a real woman but she wasn't really green!  It has been said that more prints have been made of Chinese Girl than even the Mona Lisa, herself.

Vladimir Tretchikoff 1913-2006

Russian-born Tretchikoff was a self-taught artist who captured the spirit of the exotic both in still life and, more fascinatingly, through portraiture.  He lived the better part of his life in South Africa but was heavily influenced by Asian culture as well.  His reputation is that of the "King of Kitsch," but during his lifetime, he was the second-richest, living artist behind only Pablo Picasso.  I have always found it interesting that in the world of "high art," accessibility and popularity immediately equate to "low-brow."   Below are several examples of Tretchikoff portraits; I find them rich in passion and technique.

Lady from Orient

Hindu Dancer

Fruits of Bali

Miss Wong

Balinese Girl

Zulu Girl

I find Tretchikoff's work to be sensual, personal and intimate.  He chose subjects that were uncommon for the time and instead of exploiting them, he showed the beauty of their spirit and culture.  My brother has a copy of Chinese Girl that I have vowed to steal one day - she shall be mine!


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny