Tasha Tudor| Creating fairytales

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse...
Another story to add to my, "Artists & Designers Series". Why I want to share a story about a woman that enjoyed living on a farm and from her cozy kitchen illustrated some of the world's most famous children's books; mainly...because she was successful. Tudor was a lady famous for creating fairy tales. And Somehow I feel that she can help anyone embrace their creative side. One of the many books that she illustrated was, "The Night Before Christmas." Her name was Tasha Tudor born in 1915 to Starling Burgess and Rosamond Tudor. The always busy Tudor was extremely proficient in her life, illustrating over 100 books before her death in 2008. Her whimsical personally lead her to live in a way preferred by the English; she also often stated that she would have liked to live during the 1830's. As she later proved this by living without the conveniences of the early 1900's modern life; choosing a home with no running water or electricity; even making her clothes by spinning flax into material. She passed away in Marlboro leaving her 4 children, with a Last Will and Testament, that regrettably severely separated their already distant relationships, with looming disagreements over a 2 million dollar estate. I thought to myself, how can someone with her sensibilities for family life not be close to her own family.

Although there is a troubling end to her story, her life also displays images of creativity, talent and an enticing paradigm of Tudor's fortitude to live a life that was to her deepest satisfaction, no matter how she was viewed for it. This is why it is a wonderful inspiring story. So join me.

To glimpse into the world of Tasha Tudor means you must imagine being driven by a need to survive as a child without the constant attention of your parents. Tudor was separated from her parents after their divorce, separated by different interests and clearly by her mother's choice to send her to stay with people that lived on a farm instead of allowing the allure of a big city to influence her.

This is where Tudor made her early convictions about living, deciding to live quite differently from others, eager to take on a harder rural life; over the trends of main stream. She dreamed of having a farm with chickens, cows and a favorite pet the corgi dog. She worked diligently to hone her skills in: cooking, cleaning, gardening,and sewing; anything that helped make a home beautiful.

Her father a naval architect, W. Starling Burgess nicknamed Tudor, Natasha, (originally named for her father), calling her this because of his fondness for a character in the book War and Peace. The name was shortened to Tasha after she was re-christened. She attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts around 8 or 9 years old. But credits her mother, a portrait artist, with teaching her to paint. She chose to follow in her mother's footsteps by becoming an artist, using watercolor as her medium. Tudor created the art for her books, pictures often bordered by details such as flowers, birds or other charming objects. She also created thousands of original works of art which appear on Christmas cards, Valentine's cards and posters.

Her mother after the divorce from Tudor's father Burgess relocated to Greenwich Village. It was then that Tudor was sent to live with a couple in Connecticut so she wouldn't be influenced by the jazz age. Living with this couple exposed her to theatre; the couple wrote plays including Tudor as a character, dressing up in period clothes and learning the lifestyle of past days on stage. This is how Tasha became fond of dressing in old styled clothes and theatrical themes. She started teaching nursery school and at the age of 15 with her earnings purchased a cow. It was her start to natural living. The dream of living in a English farmhouse and living with an early 1900's flair was beginning to take shape. She was able live her dream after she married Thomas McCready 1938, eventually having 4 children. When they were first married she wrote and illustrated a book for his niece as a gift, and named it, "Pumpkin Moonshine," as the book was written about the young girl's story of selecting a pumpkin from her grandmother's garden. This would be her first published book. Her husband McCready recommended that she should try to get it published. She was turned down by numerous publishers before she was accepted by Oxford University Press. The book, Pumpkin Moonshine, was published in 1938. It's seems spectacular that she developed this fine art of watercolor and only completed the 8Th grade. The royalties from her work on a 1944 version of Mother Goose helped her purchase the rural home that she always dreamed of, which was in need of renovation, the farm house had 17 rooms and 450 acres. Tudor painted in the kitchen between baking bread and feeding her children. She played games with the kids and had tea parties, and played dress up. She became famous for her children's books. After her divorce from McCready Tudor changed her last name to Tudor, changing her children's names as well. This act alone tells of her rare independence. Other books and watercolors followed, highlighted by some lovely contributions outside of her normal niche of children's books; to a few books about gardening with friends, one done with friend Margaret Hensel, "English Cottage Gardening".

Tudor did small things with style, something as simple as making homemade ice cream or planting a pretty flower; she was able to use in her writing or painting to share through her books in some way.

She had a home built in Marlboro,Vermont near her son Seth, which he built from the ground up to replicate, a friend's home in New Hampshire. Though it was a newly constructed home it had a worn look about it, to satisfy Tudor's liking, right down to the uneven floor boards. Tudor died in 2008.














Then she walked slowly through the high grass
written by Efner Tudor Holmes/Painting Tasha Tudor

Her simple way of life was inspiring because it's something that can be accomplished by anyone willing to embrace simple things and find a way to share them. As a painter, I know having beautiful unspoiled views of nature can be great for developing your eye for color and beauty; and can be easily shared with others on canvas.

Planting a garden in the South: The Peony flower

Photo A & D Nursery

The peony is named after Paeon or Paean, a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower.

Upon my many visits to garden stores, I walked the isles looking for flowers that I hoped to plant in my garden. I select them mainly because I wanted to see them again and they're not common to the area. I was intrigued by the bloom of the peony flower on one of my visits. The peony has a large flower with a center that creates a shadow inside. That day, I passed up this beautiful bloom because the leaves seemed to be less durable than the other flowers that I have selected, so I didn't buy it that day. Yet the peony fragrance has remained one of my favorites for a garden. I try to plant flowers that have fragrance but with textural leaves that stand out against other flowers in the garden. After much contemplation I have decided to add the peony bloom to my garden this year.

Here the blooms are protected by a parasole (Picture by Paeonyflora)

Garden Styles

Cottage Gardens

If my garden was this large I could see it being rather vintage cottage style like this one. Yet this style would be harder to manage in my opinion. A garden like this should only be grown in year round warmer climates, because the landscape would fall into an unattractive overgrowth during winter months. I could be wrong but that's the way I see it. What kind of garden do you favor?




Check out the green walkway. Beautiful.

Photo by we heart it

GO AHEAD MAKE MY DAY...

It will make you
famous ~


Been thinking lately, about how I missed all this...the blog
world I mean.


I heard a few things
said about it
but never really investigated until I
read
a story written about Tavi, a blogger,
"Style
Rookie."
She writes a really clever blog
about fashion.
And only 14 years old.

I know I'm the last person to find
out
about her

After reading,I was hooked.
I think I started that day looking for blogs.


I still pour over magazines to
stay current; seeking pointers on fashion
and news worthy information.
(Particurly W magazine and Oprah's, "O").


But the Blogging world for me is a treasure hunt, with new personalities logging on everyday.

Invited by new blogs
onto their pages
for personal updates,
I think it's outstanding.

I've found that my love for interior design
has grown. Being able to look at blog pages by
designers and home makers alike; sharing stories
and pictures on a full screen.

It's incredibly nice.


xoxo

My room color concept

Room Color & Design

...It's not easy but looking at everything from an artistic standpoint has a value to it.

Nothing is as simple as before, even purchasing hand towels becomes a lesson in texture and color.

While viewing interior design pages I've noticed a reoccuring theme, that colors create pause in a room and black seems to frame everything.

Black can be used as the color for a chair, picture frames or a pillow on a couch, when placed anywhere stops the eye.

Photos by we heart it.



(Black is hidden in this dining room; in the light fixture and window frame).

(Here the deepest color is found on the stained floor).

My Art Series/ A bowl of Cherries

Oil on canvas
Artist: Yolanda T.

I painted this picture about 7 years ago.
At the time I didn't have as much
patience with art as I do now, I couldn't
wait to finish my canvases so I would rush
until my name was signed.
I still consider doing more touch-ups today.

Simple interiors with a splash of modern art

Lovely arrangement by Design Interiors.
The use of a simple formula creates a stunning room.
Add a highly texturized rug to a modern canvas and
surround it with traditional furniture
and you've got total pleasure.















Designing a room with your specific tastes
is not as easy as it looks.
Many people get it right
the first try,
but sometimes finding
that special piece of furniture
takes longer. I managed
to figure out a few things
about my furniture selections.
I only buy very traditional pieces
as my first investments and collect
a few contemporary things to
bring out the personality of
my space.


xoxo

Laquan Smith, A young talent that didn't play sports, but fashion designing...he answered

His grandfather gave him a football to play with when he was younger...it, he put aside for some quality time with a needle and thread.

LaQuan Smith, stitches up his latest designs in his grandmother's house. But that small detail won't stop him from showing his wears in New York City during fashion week. His method of show; similar to Chanel's fashion launches, afternoon shows in her apartment with models lined up walking down from her staircase bearing numbered cards. The place New York of course. To a few eager onlookers this is the potion of choice, a newly minted talent without a client list or a bank account. It's little stories like this that keep my creative engines churning. The humble beginnings... better yet a closer look into, behind the scenes.

This tale starts out with the promise of the tiniest of seeds. Without formal training other than his grandmother's lessons and a standard sewing machine. Mr. Smith lays out his fabrics, not on a fancy cutting table, but on the bedroom floor of his room at his grandmother's house to begin work on a new garment. The window above his bed casts light around a tattered mannequin providing light for the smallest of spaces including some shine for his grandmother's old sewing machine. His newly constructed clothes hang on a clothing rack only inches from his patch quilt covered bed. He creates his own patterns, opting not to use store bought patterns because they didn't have the range that he wanted, to achieve his final products. Ooh,just a little something that could be worn by Rihanna in her latest video.



His title of newcomer has nothing to do with his opening acts on the fashion stage.
Because he's not shy when it comes to going out on the town. To say that he was on a mission is an understatement. Spotted in 3 inch heels and sequins Laquan made eyes stare in his direction for more than a fashion thrill. Gaining the attention of the likes of fashions' in crowd with every courageous smile. He was taking orders.
Ok, this is not my taste but you have to give him credit for his effort.
He sews what appears to be stage wear, something that gets you noticed, a garment that most celebrities would have interest. He has some tamier pieces but will those really get any attention,on let's say...the Red Carpet. I know what he was thinking, 'who has time for tamed pieces, when I have New York City to conquer before I turn 22 years old.' With names like Rihanna and Lady Gaga already wearing his clothes, it's certain that he will be on his way to higher ground. His grandmother taught him to sew when he was only thirteen; he got the hang of holding a straight pen between his teeth and pinning fabric, in no time. With this skill under his belt, he made his fashion sketches drawn in his earlier days, come to life. He noted that opening up the seams of previously made garments helped him to understand sewing better. When asked how he was able to complete such pieces, quoted, "I just do it."



He has a personality of steel, because he had to put behind him the fact that he was rejected by the Fashion Institute of Technology, a school for designers. Upon viewing his sketches they said, "who is your girl." Because his designs didn't fit into a particular category, (his variety can range from layered jackets, with sea shell influences, to lace layered tees made with scuba fabric), they wanted to know who his girl would be, in commercial terms, his client. His answer was anyone...though stated politely. I found him quite inspiring.

Visit his website to view his collection at www.laquansmith.com

Photos New York Times

The last days of my old camera

These photos were taken on a Sunday in a little rural town not far from my house. I'm using a point and shoot Kodak AF 3x Optical Aspheric Lens. This camera did OK for years and then out of the blue when I put some new batteries in one day... nothing, switched batteries again nothing. I am still upset. What I liked about this camera besides the fact that it was very reasonable it has 7.1 mega pixels something you apreciate when trying to photograph details. The pictures were always pretty clear. The first photo is of what seems to be an old barn/commercial livestock facility. Thought I would do some peaceful shots for city dwellers.






I love lonely shots; nothing but trees and train tracks leading west. I put my purse down in the rocks to take this shot. The tracks were so abandoned looking I wanted to wait to see if a train would come. It didn't for quite a while. Really peaceful.



















Endless grass fields that only whisper in gusts of wind, you can hear a pen drop from a block away. Or it could have been Sunday silence.



Hope you enjoyed.



xoxo

Princes/ Hermes

Stitched baseball mit 8,500.00 at Hermes.




The princes having a casual moment. Love this photo. Nice day.

Pictures that inspire

You need a great sandwich every once in a while. Lovely bananas. ♥

Check out wichserstudio for her free giveaway she also has a lovely Etsy store. There will be 3 winners! Click here http://www.wichserstudio.blogspot.com/ for more details.

Favorites

Chris Martin the lead singer of Coldplay is adorable,happy and hilarious if given the audience. Love.

W Magazine... an escape.

Morgan Freeman I can watch all day loooong.

xoxo

The morning paper

Outside there are cars passing by and the sun's soft light on the horizon makes my curtains come to life again. The city is awake and moving. My day is just beginning. Many things must be done before my head hits the pillow again tonight. The weekend is here with a couple of to-dos left on my, "you must do list." It's often quoted that there's is 24 hours in a day yet the real truth is there is only twelve, the remaining twelve you spend getting ready for bed, sleeping or counting sheep. The night should always be reserved for you; a little personal time, if you will. Where it's OK to get lost in a great movie, load clothes in and out of the dryer, talk on the phone with relatives or look for something that you've misplaced. Whatever you want to do. So it's reasonable to say that when you schedule a 12 hour day, it's a good idea to schedule it a few days in advance or it can be gone like a dream with nothing being done other than simple chores. Leaving those same to-dos until tomorrow or worse next week.



I've found a new appreciation for being on time and in style. A good friend of mine purchased a nice Coach watch for me; just because. It's has a simple pearl face, gold hour marks with a stainless steel band that's modestly embellished. I have been wearing it now for 10 years and the look has remained simple but classic. I never looked at watches before the way I do now. Because now I look at time differently, I see a watch as a tool.

I'm not perfect but this is how I manage to get some things done during the day...err and night.
My day is broken up into minuscule activities. I schedule every project into 15 minute intervals. For instant I will say that it will take me 30 minutes to get to my destination, I block out two lines for the drive 15/15 (minutes). Now maybe there's a little time between stop lights to fill out forms or call a client but my foot is off the break as soon as the light turns green.


My twelve hours begin when I wake in the morning to fix breakfast around 5:30 am. This leaves some computer time and few minutes to look in the closet to find something to wear. Around 7:30 I do a yoga class on the fit channel. I don't know how I existed without a little yoga in the morning. At 8:00 a.m. I get dressed, this takes me about an hour. At 9:00a.m. I start my to-d0 list, making calls, computer work and setting up showings. Then it's off to a meeting, I schedule my first appointment around 10:00-10:15 a.m. At 12 p.m. I take a small break and figure my next meeting time and the reminder of the day. My next appointment is about 1:45 p.m. At 2:45 p.m. I take notes, make any calls that I need to make and before making the next showing if I have one scheduled around 4:00pm. At 5:00 p.m. I'm wrapping things up and doing any last minute projects like going to the bank, library, bookstore. It's never boring. My twelve hours have a different set-up everyday with a lot of unstructured spaces between showings and meeting clients, random must-do projects and unexpected calls that take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. A day can easily get lost if I'm not on a 15minute scheduling log.




xoxo

A Spoonful of Etiquette

I wanted to share a new awakening I experienced during lunch the other day. I had this fabulous soup and I wanted to start eating right away but I'm notorious for burning my tongue no matter how careful I am. It's just me, but I don't think it looks good to cool your soup in public. So, before this I would suffer through the awkwardness of waiting until my soup cooled enough to eat, which would take forever, or resort to burning my tongue. So, I decided at lunch the other day to deliberately take a bite of my bread first; then I dipped my spoon in the soup letting it rest over the bowl until I finished chewing my bread. When I put the spoon to my mouth the soup it was cool enough to eat. This was revolutionary for me. I found this wonderful rhythm for eating soup that I never really realized before. It seems like I have to learn everything over about eating because I grew up completely vegetarian with really no eating challenges.

Sometimes I find eating difficult or hot foods can cause you to lose yourself in the dining process. I'm thinking of this lady that said her mother would tie her neck to the back of her chair at the dinner table leaving only a small space to move so she wouldn't lean forward to eat. Breaking a cardinal rule of fine dining. She made this revelation to a dinner guest to answer the question of how she learned to eat so beautifully. She really didn't sound unhappy about her meal time drama so I guess it all worked out. This story is a little drastic I know, but I like knowing the little nuisances of good habits. Have you been enlightened by a difficult meal at the dinner table?

New Lounge in New York/ Out with the New in with the Old...

Some pictures of the new [I'm sure soon to be hot spot] lounge opening in New York City called; Polar. It's located below Gramercy's Marcel Hotel. Due to open on Feb 9Th right before fashion week. The interior design firm Goodman Charlton stayed true to the iconic name Polar, in that the seating looks very much like the color of a polar bear; the designer used faux fur as a warming counter presence against the cooler hard surfaces. It allows you to experience the landscape of the North Pole through a thoughtful selection of furnishings and color palettes. The crystal chandelier and glass tables stand in for solid ice providing a cold wow factor. With lighting that cools the atmosphere in a way that gently ages the interior; casting the illusion of dusk right before nightfall. Very romantic.
Visit: http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2010/02/polar_lounge.html