Paisley Beading ~ May 2014

Bringing you the May 2014 Paisley Beading collage!

Handmade creations from my very own Etsy shop.

Here's the link:

PaisleyBeading.Etsy.com

Lookin’ Gorgeous in the 70’s

simonandkabuki

Here's a flashback to the 70's, featuring vintage ads for

some of the beauty products that we used and loved!

Let's see if you remember some of them!

Love's Baby Soft was my first fragrance. So feminine.

Bonne Bell's Ten-O-Six lotion was my introduction to a serious skincare routine.

Somehow, I felt like a real teenager when I used it!

liketotally80s

These shavers were so modern! Great colors, too.

breedavies

Probably the first of the dry shampoos that are so popular today.

Have you tried them? My favorite is by Dove.

thehairpin

I had bubble gum flavor. The shinier the better!

liketotally80s

So, here's an early Pam Dawber of Mork & Mindy fame.

Loved my Sweet Honesty from Avon.

bubblebathbeauty

What a perfect ad campaign!

starwars77-80

It's all about the packaging.

bellasugar

I had one of these. We called it a Hot Comb.

stuckinthe70s

Absolutely!

goretro

More Bonne Bell! I was crazy about Lip Smackers!

Although I had a few, my favorite was Dr. Pepper.

spabeautyschools

Tell me about your favorites from back in the day!

Bethlehem Steel–Architecture in Rust

A day in Bethlehem, PA with my hubby included a stop to see 

the coke ovens and blast furnaces of Bethlehem Steel. 

I will admit it. His idea to visit this place didn't make me stand up and cheer. 

Sounded like a "guy thing" to me. But.

I flashed back to the shops and craft bazaars (yes, hundreds) he'd tolerated for me.

I softened and gave in without protest. Hey, it's love.

And sure enough, I was secretly eating crow.

 I was taken in by the mystique of the place! 

Ruins of another era. The place was an abandoned ghost town,

but with an undercurrent that something great had happened here.

Once alive and thriving, but now still and silent.

After watching an excellent film at the Visitor's Center to learn some history, I was sold. 

We spent some time walking around to see the place up close and personal. 

At least as close as chain link fencing would allow.

I imagined men climbing the steep ladders for checks and repairs. 

I marveled at the colossal feat of designing and building it all.
Then, while snapping photos against a brilliant blue sky,
I started seeing the angles and curves of a piece of architecture.

Architecture now in rust.

Fast Facts:

Began in 1860 to make iron rails for the railroad.

Grew to become America's second largest steel company.

Best known for the wide flange steel beam.

Used to build New York City's Madison Square Garden, 

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA and the 

center axle of the first-ever Ferris Wheel at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

85% of the New York City skyline was built with Bethlehem Steel.

Used to build guns, cannons, tanks and ships for both World Wars.

Here's a far shot to appreciate the immense size of the structure.
 That's me (posing) at the bottom for scale.

Notice a corner of the Visitor's Center on the right.

The beginning of the end was said to have been in 1966, 

when, although Bethlehem Steel was the lowest bidder to provide the steel 

to build the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in NYC,

the decision was made to obtain even lower prices by using imported steel. 

Other builders followed suit.

Appreciating the patina of years.

All of the buildings combined once stretched 4 1/2 miles along the Lehigh River!

The arched walls of many strong stone buildings remain, skeletons of the past.

The Bethlehem, PA plant closed in 1998.

Learn lots more at this website:

Bethlehem Steel: Forging America

The Art of … Tea

mango frooty

Oh, the comfort we get from a hot cup of tea!

Unlike the expected lift from coffee,
drinking tea isn't really about the outcome at all.

Rather, the relaxing process. A call to stillness.

The calming ritual. The leisurely sipping.

Absorb the warmth and the aroma with me as we
have our own tea party of sorts to celebrate Mother's Day
and to appreciate these artists' renditions of The Art of ... Tea!

"A woman is like a tea bag -
you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

waterinmypaint

morgan weistling

elsie anna wood

migy blanco

stasia burrington

kate greenaway

hollyoverthemoon

t.c.chiu

la chapeliere folle

alice tate

franziska schenkel

frank h desch

suchacolorfulday

Here's another post you may enjoy
in celebration of Mother's Day:
The Art of ... Motherhood.

Plus an infographic on tea:
Tea Time!

Forever grateful for the blessings of my moms, Dot & Helen.

Summertime Cape Bags by Tasselled Totes

Get summer started with one of these Cape Bags by Tasselled Totes!

They're designed and handmade in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
by the mother-daughter team of Cindy & Christen Parzych.

I'm crazy about the bamboo handle and the wide variety of 

terrific summer prints paired with a crisp, grosgrain ribbon closure!

The individually-crafted quality is evident

and the colorful, fun prints are irresistible!

above: Truro Trout ~ Yellow

below: Nautical ~ Navy

Tropical Optimism ~ Blue

Shell ~ Salmon

Sandcastle

Happy Hour ~ Yellow

Shell ~ Blue/Yellow

Hibiscus ~ Retro

Hawaiian Block ~ Blue/Green

Flip Flop ~ Pale Yellow

Palm Tree Check ~ Green

And you know I can't resist... Paisley ~ Carnation

See the Cape Bag in other fabrics,
plus more styles of bags and accessories,
at the Tasselled Totes website!



Images used with direct permission from Cindy Parzych.