Behind the Curtain

Of Lead and Cartography

I recently discovered the little shop of Herb Lester and fell in love. I found them while doing some research on Glasgow, but let me first talk about the Fürst pencil I got from them. Well, it is more of a lead holder. Either way, I dig it, especially with the colored lead replacements that I also got. It is pretty small and compact, so I can easily clip it to my datebook. It also writes well and the blue of the barrel is just lovely.

But back to how I found them...Glasgow. See, the majority of their products are city maps. I'm not talking typical maps, but off-the-cuff interesting things to see maps. Most of their maps are for London, but since I won't be spending any time there while I'm in the UK, I only got one London map. OK, it may be weird to get a London map when I won't even be spending time there, but how could I resist a map called Clandestine London? If you look at the photo, it's the one that is opened up...look how freaking well designed that is!

As for the maps I can actually use, I got A Glasgow Companion and Hello Chicago. The Glasgow one looks pretty darn good. It mentions places not in my guide book and judging from the Chicago map, they have some great choices for things to see. I'm definitely excited to use the Glasgow one for our trip to Scotland.

The Chicago one has some of my most loved places, as well as places I've been meaning to visit but haven't yet. I will be putting the map to some use and will also give it to guests that stay with us for their own adventuring in the city.

Do any of you own other maps from Herb Lester? What are your favs?

Love Cards for Cynics

Drunk Elephant card

'Tis that time of year again, but even if you hate V-day or don't have someone special next week, we've got "love cards" perfect for you. Everything from wanting to talk shit about others, to how we should ignore the "corporate holiday" to how you may actually think the person you are with is pretty bad ass. Send a card and let others know how you feel, even if it isn't love.

For those with little ones in your life, you can also spread the love with these Instant Love Notes by tucking them into their lunch bags. Heck, these would even perk-up a grown-up's lunch!

Books & Perfume

I don't know why it took me until nearly the end of the month to write about this, but I got some lovely gifts from the husband this year that I wanted to share. Firstly, look how pretty Persephone gift wrapped their books for us, without even it being requested! Lovely, lovely. Here are the titles he chose from their collection:

- Greenbanks by Dorthy Whipple (currently reading)
- Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary by Ruby Ferguson
- The Expendable Man by Dorothy Hughes

I'm only one chapter into Greenbanks, but it has already sucked my into the story. I'm excited to find the time to read more. Lady Rose and Mrs. Memmary has gotten mixed reviews on Good Reads, but I was attracted to this one because it takes place in Scotland. I'm planning on either reading it right before our trip or while on the trip. The Expendable Man...detective mystery turned film noir movie, enough said.

I was also pleased to see that Persephone is now offering eBooks. I definitely prefer printed books to electronic ones, but there are some books I would like to have in both print and digital form so that I have access to it if I need a quick pick me up while traveling. (When I use the eReader the most.)

The other gift he gave me is the scent In the Library from CB I Hate Perfume. Now, I am not a fan of perfume at all. I haven't worn any since high school, but I decided to buy a sample of a couple of their fragrances because a friend recommended them. I tried out Russian Caravan Tea and the library one. I really liked both, but felt In the Library was better for everyday wear and awesomely, C surprised me buy buying a full size of the scent.

So, that's what I'll be smelling and reading over the next few months!

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Book lovers, check out the Kickstarter from one of the librarians of Read/Write Library, where we have hosted LWA Letter Socials at in the past. They only have 3 more days to reach their goal and get their book printed, so help them out.

Tweed Plus Fours

Northhampton Ad from Spoke Sniffer

Here is the story on how I became the proud owner for Harris Tweed Breeks. What do breeks have to do with plus fours, well...

If anyone has been looking at my Pintrest boards lately, they will be aware that I have been a wee obsessed with Plus Fours. First, lets talk about what the heck Plus Fours are:

First introduced during the 1920s, plus fours were a variation on the traditional knee pants called knickers, which had been worn by men, boys, and, occasionally, women, since the late 1800s. Plus fours received their name because they were made four inches longer than ordinary knickers.
 - Fashion Encyclopedia

So, after collecting a mass of plus fours images, I decided to start shopping for a pair. To my utter sadness, they do not make plus fours for ladies. OK, I thought, I'll just get a man size. Well, every place I saw started their sizing at a 32 waist, which would not fit me. So I researched and found that breeches and breeks are a similar cut to plus twos (similar to plus fours and plus eights, just with less fabric bagging at the knee).

I went on a search for those and found that they indeed made ladies sizes in breeks. Problem was: the price. Holy crap are breeks expensive! They are considered "country wear," which I suppose means you have enough money to own a country home and therefore are willing to spend $200 on a pair of half pants. I was determined to find a pair on sale.

Left:My Harris Tweed breeks | Right: Section from a mail order catalog circa 1920 for ladies' plus fours.

After some more searching I found the Harris Tweed Shop. Lo and behold they have Breeks on sale. Now, the site looks a bit low tech, so I did some research to check their validity and found that a few of the men on The Fedora Lounge have ordered custom suits from the shop and were really please with the product. So, I bit the bullet and bought the sale tweed breeches as a Xmas present to myself.

I'm really glad I took this chance. The craftsmanship of this pants is outstanding. Each seam is encased in cotton so the seams don't itch you. There is also an all-over lining that further stops the itchies and keeps me warm in this awful Chicago winter. The fit is great and I may just have to save up my pennies to buy another pair in a different tweed sometime next year. Or perhaps a matching vest? Oh dear, I think I'm addicted to Harris Tweed.

 

Chronodex: Radial Time

Do you know of Patrick's Chronodex radial day planner? Well you should. It is an interesting way to schedule your responsibilities, especially if you are more of a visual person. He offers it as a free download on his site and it has caught on so quickly, that several people have also offered modified versions for download as well. For example, there is a Circa version and a GTD version (both paper and digital (iPad) formats).

I'm really enjoying this format for my datebook, although I would like to make a few modifications when I have a bit more time. One thing I would really like to do is to create the radial days for the weekend, as much of my shop activities happen then. I would also switch out the AM and PM locations in the 9 to 12 time range, as much of my appointments occur in the evenings than the mornings. Ah, but, no time to make such changes now. Luckily, the datebook still works pretty darn well as it is.

I love how thin it is, so I can just keep it in my bag with my journal without adding extra weight. Oh, and it was so easy to make. The one addition I have done is to add my to-do list to the cover of my datebook. That way I can see what tasks I have to get done without opening my planner. Its like a nagging inanimate object, but without being annoying.

So, if you are looking for a new way to keep your appointments in 2012, take a look at the many variations of Chronodex. There is even a Flickr group for it so you can see how different people are using and modifying the system.

Cuff & Collars

I've been taking a different approach to my winter wardrobe this year in that I'm wearing my summer dresses. Yes, this sounds a bit weird, but let me clarify that I am layering with my summer dresses. I'll add a blouse, sweater, or collar over a summer dress to make it warm enough for the season and to expand my wardrobe. This often makes the dress look like I wearing a skirt and top, which leads to compliments about my "new fancy skirt." Oh, how I wish.

Now, adding a bit of an accessory to a dress, making it look like another *newer* dress, is not a new idea. In fact, I got the idea from flipping through 1940s Ladies Home Journal issues. Now, while I haven't started adding sashes (as shown above) to my dresses, I have been very keen on the idea of "changing" my dresses with detachable collars.

Sears catalog, 1935 [Source]

Detachable collars are a common sight in 1930s mail order catalogs, like this layout Elide posted on her blog a while ago. While I have a couple in my collection, they are ones that came with homemade vintage dresses I bought and normally only work with the dress it came with. (I'm assuming the seamstress did make others for that dress, but they have long been separated from one other.) So, I've been looking for collars that are versatile with my wardrobe, which has led me to several tutorials. So far, the one I've really liked is this one from Megan Nielson for a Scalloped-edge Pearl Collar. When I make it, I would omit the pearls, so it is better for everyday wear.

The pink silk matches my pink garters!

Unfortunately, I don't really have the time to sew anything up right now, so I was very happy to see that Previously had the new collar she spoke of making all ready for sale at the DIY Trunk Show last month. I tried it on, fell in love, and snatched one up for myself. I'm happily wearing it as I type right now and love how it transforms my shirts and dresses into something else entirely. Now, I just need to find the time to make that scalloped one for myself and I can really start emulating that 1930s wardrobe!

Anyone know of any other tutorials or shops for detachable collars?

Please hand her my card

Image from Inspiration Resource

I was reading a P.G. Wodehouse book the other day and fell upon a part in the book where the main character Jimmy is in a restaurant and notices that a man at table near him has a bit of a "haunted look" in his eye. The story continues:

Given the time and the place, there were only two things which could have caused that look. Either the light-haired young man had seen a ghost, or he had suddenly realized that he had not enough money to pay the check. Jimmy's heart went out to the sufferer. He took a card from his case, scribbled the words, "Can I help?" on it, and gave it to a waiter to take to the young man, who was now in a state bordering on collapse.

The next moment the light-haired one was at his table, talking in a feverish whisper. "I say," he said, "it's frightfully good of you, old chap. It's frightfully awkward. I've come out with too little money. I hardly like to--What I mean to say is, you've never seen me before, and----"

"That's all right," said Jimmy. "Only too glad to help. It might have happened to any one. Will this be enough?"
      - The Gem Collector, P. G. Wodehouse

Calling a Senator [man presenting calling card at U.S. Capitol]
Original source unknown; Image from Vangobot

After reading this section my first thought was to question why calling cards ever fell out of fashion. I still have one of my grandmother's calling cards from the late 60s, so they were at least still being used at that time. I absolutely love this idea of introducing yourself to someone, or sending a note to someone in person, via a calling card.

In the book, this reaching out via a calling card is the entire impetus of the storyline. One can't help but wonder what kind of events may unfold by just the passing of a calling card today?

Free calling card downloads from Orangenmond | Image from Orangenmond

I know some parents have been using calling card for play dates, but why not use them for meeting new people too, or for gaining new pen pals in real life? They can say as little or as much as you want. Just because we have many social sites online doesn't mean we stop meeting interesting people in real life. I can count a few times when I met a knitter out and about and later on wished I knew her Ravelry handle so I could check out the project we discussed. The same can go for so many other things - GoodReads, Twitter, paper letters...

I've been working on calling cards to announce our upcoming letter socials to those who attend the current one, or when we are at craft fairs. When I am done with those I'll show you all how I did them. I will be doing a mix of digital printing and hand stamping. For the right now, check out Paper Pastries DIY stamp calling cards; or for those who would like to order professionally printed one, The Well Appointed Desk has a great round-up post of calling card printers

Recent Acquisitions

While I recover from my San Fran trip and the Renegade Fair, let me show you some shiny things I recently got for myself.

• The Many mails of Miss Sequential - a free supplement to her most recent zine, available for the price of an SASE.

• Lamy Fountain Pen Ink + Ink Blotter Tape - there's blotter tape IN THE BASE of the well! I so excited about this. The strip of blotting paper is just enough for wiping your pen clean after filling it, so don't expect to use this tape to blot an entire page of written word or anything. It is still pretty neat though!

• J. Herbin 340th Anniversary Fountain Pen Ink - I have yet to crack this open, but PenInkCillin has a nice review of the ink.

• A special zine for ordering Carolee's zine Practice Being Human a few months ago. This zine is now available as a pdf for your reading pleasure. I would highly suggest it.

• Kuretake Craft Glue Pen & Pentel Hybrid White Gel Pen - The glue pen has a strong hold and is fast drying. It fits perfectly in my pen case, so I'm quite happy for this find. As for the white pen: I've been looking for a good one for a while and am glad I found one that actually writes on black paper in opaque white.

Hopefully by Friday I will get unpacked enough to show you all the goodies I got in San Fran.

Ink & Paper Adoration

I decided to treat myself to a few letter-writing goodies and I am really quite please with the purchases I've made. Please allow me to share:

• Ink cartridges in blue & purple & an ink converter for my Pilot Plumix.
  (I was really surprised by the writing quality of this pen. It looks cheap, but the italic nib creates a great look. I just had to get more ink for it.)

• Custom Stamps for the Letter Writers Alliance P.O. Box
   (I am not quite ready to get an address stamp for my apartment for fear to moving right when I get it, but the PO Box is here to stay, so I thought it was a good buy.)

• Kaweco Sport fountain pen, medium nib with clip.
   (This is my second model of this pen, the first being the clear body. I just love the compact nature and writing quality of this pen so much, I needed a second. The other one I have is a fine nib, so I opted for the medium nib on this one.)

• Oveta Culp Hobby 84¢ stamp (for 3 oz weight letters)
   (This is my favorite modern stamp right now. I love the design and the fact that Hobby is also the woman behind the Women's Army Corps [WAC], makes it even better.)

I must say that all of these purchases were were inspired by two things: my recently established correspondence with my grandfather and Marissa Falco's new zine Miss Sequential, Outgoing: My Life in Mail. It was so much fun to follow Marissa's love of mail from a wee tyke and get a peak into the various pen pals she's had a long the way. The whole time I was reading it, I just was itching to write a letter.

I see and speak to my grandfather often, but he is a quiet chap and most of the time we spend together is in silent relaxation. I realized that I barely know anything about his childhood and teenage years, so I decided to write him a letter asking him to tell me stories. This has spurred a great response from him and I'm reading amazing stories of his time in Libya, Italy, and Venezuela. It is also interesting to hear his experience of WWII as a citizen of Italy, especially when I am so used to reading the British perspective.

Have you treated yourself to any new pen pals or letter writing tools recently? If so, let me know, I'd love to hear what you are doing with pen and paper.

 

My Man Jeeves

I'm a fan of the Stephen Fry/Hugh Laurie Jeeves & Wooster series, so it is unexplainable why it it has taken me so long to actually READ the Jeeves & Wooster stories. In fact, last year while discussing books with a co-worker I was told I must read P.G. Wodehouse's short stories. Yet did I, no. To be fair, my reading list is quite long and I normally have to be in the mood to read short stories. At that time I was in a decidedly historical fiction craze. Right now though, I just need escapist period fodder, thank you. The collection of short stories in My Man Jeeves fits the bill.

Once you get used to the language, these short stories are a fun read. (The narrators speak in a 1910s British modern slang that is sometimes overdone, but it never became annoying.) Purely escapist material, as it involves problems and incidents only the leisurely rich can find themselves involved in. Regardless of this thread of commonality through all the stories, the narrator has a great way of unraveling the plot while making the story easy and engaging. There are a few stories included in this volume that do not involve Jeeves & Wooster, but they were enjoyable none the less. I'm looking forward to start on the next volume from this series as soon as it gets returned to my library.

The mini-print that I shot with the lovely library book of this title is from Lucy Kinsley. I bought this print from her 2 years ago at the Holiday Renegade Show. Its been hanging in my office ever since. In a related note, Donovan got to meet Lucy at C2E2 last month and drew a lovely little portrait of Lucy on her INtangible blog. You can grab this print and many other of Lucy's mini-prints here.

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Don't forget to join the Letter Writers Alliance at Renegade Handmade tomorrow for a Letter Writing Social. It all starts at 1pm at 1924 W Division St., Chicago, IL 60622.