Creativity, Crafts, Books, Movies, Greyhounds & Favorite Things

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Last Friday, I hosted an Origami Owl party.

Origami Owl is a line of jewelry that includes lockets, charms, chains, plates, dangles and tags that you put together to create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry that reflects your story and style.

I have always loved home parties, both hosting and attending. I remember my mom hosting parties…Stanley Home Products, Tupperware and Beeline Fashions. In fact, my mom had just signed up to sell Stanley Home Products when she found out she was pregnant with yours truly. So how did it all begin?

At the turn of the 20th century, small companies, like the Fuller Brush Company, went national. In 1931, Frank Stanley Beveridge, a successful Fuller Brush salesman, opened his own cleaning supplies company, called Stanley Home Products. Beveridge learned that one of his salesmen was making record-breaking sales by demonstrating his products in the living rooms of women “hostesses” who volunteered their homes and invited their friends to attend “a Stanley party.” In exchange for her efforts, the hostess was given a complimentary hostess prize, such as a toaster, a coffee pot or free Stanley products.

In the late 1940s, a woman named Brownie Wise discovered that she could make a good living from selling Stanley Home Products and became one of the most successful unit managers in the Detroit area within one year. Wise took the skills that she learned as a Stanley dealer and manager and capitalized on them when she stumbled across Earl Tupper’s product, the Wonderbowl. She convinced him that his products should be sold not in stores, but at home parties, where women would demonstrate the revolutionary, unbreakable bowls to their friends and neighbors. Tupper hired her on the spot to head up his entire sales operation, Tupperware Home Parties.

This interesting information comes from a new documentary by Laurie Kahn-Leavitt called Tupperware! presented by American Experience on PBS.

One of my favorite home parties from the 1960′s & 1970′s was Beeline Fashions. Founded by Beatrice F. Birginal (known as “Bee”) and her husband J. Edison Birginal, Bee had a knack for mixing-and-matching clothes. Bee’s line of clothing, hence the name, was founded on a uniquely simple fashion secret…buy three or four pieces and get five or six outfits. It was about getting more for your dollar through color coordination.

I always thought it was very grown-up and glamorous having a rack of clothes brought to your house, then having your friends over to try on and model the different outfits. Of course, there were also special party snacks. No wonder I have fond memories.

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Not that I would ever try to give anyone fashion advice, but if I were to give advice I’d say, “Get a yellow trench coat.”

If you wear a yellow trench coat, you will get compliments wherever you go. I have field-tested this advice, and it works.

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Today is Mother’s Day in the United States. My mother is still alive and a blessing to me, and although she is and has been a primary influence in my life, I am the product of many mothers. That reminded me of a beautiful, heartfelt article I read by Vinita Hampton Wright called Mother without child: A Mother’s Day reflection that was printed in the May 2010 issue of U.S. Catholic magazine. The author does not have biological children and much of the article deals with her feelings on that subject, but it is the article’s final portion I was particularly reflecting on this Mother’s Day. The author states, “Motherhood has to do with protecting life while it’s in formation,” and it is this spirit that touches me deeply and has benefited me my whole life through so many different women.

So to all the women who have been my mothers, I say “thank you.” I wouldn’t be who I am without you, and may I too carry the spirit of motherhood to all those whose lives I touch.

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Every month, I’m looking around at all the things I use the most, to make sure those are my “best” things. This series was inspired by my friend, Amy, who noticed that some of the ickiest things she owned were the things she used the most. She wanted to change that to make sure that her every day life was filled with beautiful, functional things. This inspired me to take a look around and make sure that I wasn’t saving “the best” for days that rarely come.

This month, I’ve identified the area I want to upgrade, but would like your opinion…on socks.

Do you have a trusted sock brand? I’d love to hear about your favorites and any recommendations.

I do an “Every Day Ugly” post on the second Wednesday of every month. I would love to have you join me. If you have some horrible thing that you make beautiful, send me a picture or pictures and tell me about it at whatremainsnow@gmail.com.

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Last week, I posted about the Project Life scrapbooking system. I purchased a kit that included an album, photo pocket pages and inserts.

The pocket pages come in a variety of configurations.

I started by putting photos in the pocket page.

Then, filled the blank spaces with the insert cards. I still need to add journaling and maybe a few embellishments. I must say that I am hooked. I’ve gone through quite a few photos and started placing them in the pocket pages. I find the pockets make it easy to organize the photos. Since I’m not gluing anything down, if I want to change it, I just move the picture to a different pocket. This is a cool product.

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I have lamented many times on the state of my photos. Last year, I even started a small School Memories album. While I LOVE the idea of scrapbooking, I’m not inclined to do it right now, so I was intrigued when my sister told me about Project Life.

Project Life is a simple system for scrapbooking. It consists of an album, photo pocket pages and inserts.

The pocket pages and inserts make it easy to create pretty photo pages.

I’ll do a few pages for next Wednesday’s post. It looks like a simple idea. I hope it works for me.

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There are certain words that confuse me. This is my list. What words are on your list?

Who or Whom

Any time you would say “him” or “her,” use the word whom. Any time you would use the word “he” or “she,” use the word who.

Examples

You sat by whom last night? I sat by her last night.

Who sat by you last night? She sat by me last night.

A trick to use to remember – Him and her end with a consonant as does whom. He and she end with a vowel as does who.

Farther or Further

Farther refers to a measurable distance. Further refers to abstract lengths that can’t always be measured.

Examples

It’s not much farther to the gas station.

This product needs further testing.

Lay or Lie

Lay means to set something down. Lie means to recline.

Examples

Lay the book on the table.

I want to lie down and take a nap.

Sadly, the past tense of lie is lay, which is probably why I’ll never settle this in my brain.

Fewer or Less

If you can count it one-by-one, use fewer. If you can’t count it individually, use less.

Examples

There were fewer days below freezing this year.

I drink less water than she does.

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Every month, I’m looking around at all the things I use the most, to make sure those are my “best” things. This series was inspired by my friend, Amy, who noticed that some of the ickiest things she owned were the things she used the most. She wanted to change that to make sure that her every day life was filled with beautiful, functional things. This inspired me to take a look around and make sure that I wasn’t saving “the best” for days that rarely come.

This month, I upgraded my work shoes.

Old Work Shoes – Functional

About six months ago, I took a new position at work. I wear a uniform and have to have non-slip shoes. To start, I purchased an inexpensive pair of shoes that have worked fine, but they don’t offer much support and they’re pretty boring. Several gals wear Dansko shoes and had great things to say about them, so I took the plunge and bought myself a pair.

New Work Shoes – Functional & Pretty

They offer great support, plus they’re jazzy. They probably look grey in the picture, but they’re a lovely lilac with a little sheen.

Snazzy Work Feet

I’ll keep my old work shoes for days when I might be doing messy work, but my new shoes add a little personality and pizzazz to my uniform.

I do an “Every Day Ugly” post on the second Wednesday of every month. I would love to have you join me. If you have some horrible thing that you make beautiful, send me a picture or pictures and tell me about it at whatremainsnow@gmail.com.

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Last November, I did a post called How Did It Begin? The information came from the book How Did It Begin by Dr. R. & L. Brasch. Since I’m spring cleaning, it’s time for this book to move on and off my bookshelf, so let’s have one more round of “how did it begin.”

Blue for Boys and Pink for Girls

A long time ago, it was believed that evil spirits hovered menacingly over the nursery, but certain colors offered protection, the most potent being blue. The color’s association with the heavenly sky rendered satanic forces powerless and drove them away. As girl babies were regarded as vastly inferior to male infants, it was assumed that evil spirits would not be interested in them. This explains blue for boys, but offers no explanation for pink. Pink for girls may come from the European tradition that says baby boys are found under cabbages while baby girls are found inside pink roses.

The White Elephant

A white elephant typically describes a gift that is a nuisance and gives more trouble than joy. The white elephant gift traces its origins back to ancient Siam where the rare albino elephants were worshiped and allowed to lead idle lives. To own a white elephant contributed greatly to the sanctity of one’s home, but it also added to the household expenses. The ancient rulers of Siam, when anxious to get rid of a courtier who had lost favor or become too influential, didn’t dismiss them, but instead honored them by presenting them with the most sacred and precious gift–a white elephant. The courtier had to accept it and the upkeep often took care of the courtier’s wealth and power.

Blackmail

Today, blackmail is associated with illegal extortion, but the original meaning wasn’t as dark. It started in Scotland hundreds of years ago. Most of the land was owned by the English who charged high rents to the Scots. This was known as mail, the Scottish term for rent and taxes. The payment was to be made in silver which was referred to as white mail, but many times the farmers could not raise the money in which case the English landlords agreed to take produce in lieu of silver. These goods became known as black mail. Over the years, dishonest agents took advantage of the farmers and demanded more money than was owed, often backing their demands with threats. This resulted in the term deteriorating into meaning payment extorted by intimidation.

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Here’s what I’ve read the last three months:

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

I’m a fan of Erik Larson. I’ve read two of his books, The Devil in the White City, about the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and Isaac’s Storm, about the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. In the Garden of Beasts is primarily set in 1930′s Berlin during the early years of Hitler’s rise to power.  The focus is both on the American Ambassador to Germany, William Dodd, and his family and the many events, both large and small, that lead to Hitler’s seizing absolute power. Although Erik Larson’s books are scrupulously researched non-fiction, they read like narrative fiction. This is an insightful examination of the cumulative power of small, overlooked acts of evil.

Wow! That was a short list. Hopefully, I’ll be able to double my reading April through June.