Poodle Time!-Poodles On Wheels

Today's post is inspired by a tip about Jack Lemon and his love of Poodles. He was once quoted as saying, "I don't need a car and driver but the Poodle does". Thanks KMF for the great tip. It really inspired me. 

Jack Lemmon and his Poodle in his Ferrari

Photo by John Rawlings, definitely 50's but don't have the exact date.

A pink Poodle in what I think is a pink Thunderbird, during the 50's.

And that pooch happens to be a Poodle. I 'm not sure where I got this but place it in the late 40's.

Winston Churchill in route with one of his Poodles.  He had two during his life time and they were both named Rufus.

Just a cute vintage photograph and a girl, her tri-cycle, and her Poodle.

Mom, when I said we should get a cool sports car, I meant something larger that this!
You can give this one to the cat.

Sophia, Niko and I are going to tool on out.  Have a great week.

Poodle Time!-Back To School

This is the first year in a long time that I have not been sitting through meetings, unpacking supplies, organizing my room, and making lesson plans.  Welcome to retirement, as they say. So today's post, in dedication to my now ended professional career, is devoted to going "Poodle" at school.

A wonderful vintage lunch box with a Poodle theme. This one is sold but there are others out there.

An insulated Lunch Box from ETSY. It is very reasonably priced

And some pencils from Modes4U

A pencil pouch-another ETSY find.

A Notebook from Zazzle

And A messenger bag to keep it all in from Amazon.

Some wonderful barrettes to keep hair out of your eyes from L. Erickson

And now something for a vintage loving teacher-an 100% silk two piece 
outfit in perfect condition.

A close up view of the pattern.

Sophia wishes everyone who is in school to have a great year.

GardenThyme-I Love My New Sloggers!

Earlier this week I was in my local farm and home store picking up some sweet feed for my critters. Yep, my sheep have a sweet tooth.  

As I was cruising down the aisle, my eyes caught something that made me stop.  Eye candy for my gardening feet. I  met my first pair of Sloggers. Needless to say, they were in my cart in a heartbeat. Did I mention that they are made right here in the USA (Georgia)?

My Sloggers-the actual shoe really isn't as bright as this picture, but bright enough.

Maybe for Fall? The boots are going to be hard to resist.

Don't like patterns-they come in solids also.

The soles sold me just as much as the tops of the shoes.

The Flip Flops are not high on my list, but I like a shoe with some surprises and this interior patterned sole does it.

The hat, probably not made in the USA-and a bit over the top-but it looks fun.

I had points saved up at my store, so my Sloggers didn't actually cost me anything. But if I get another pair,  Amazon prices are the best I have found. 

Now I know that my new garden shoes will not make me a better gardener, but it makes me a happier one.  I smile looking at my flowers and now when I look at my feet!

Joan Miró's Birds

I have a affection for the childlike surreal world that Joan (hoh-ahn) Miró created. His lyrical lines and beautiful forms and color appeal to the pre-schooler to the grandparent.  Miró talks to everyone.

His inclusion of animals has always interested me.  Dogs, cats, and birds move about his works regularly. Today I will feature some of his works with birds. 

First up, is the first Miró that I ever featured and probably one of my favorites. A bird is flying around the arch nemesis, the cat. 

Cat Encircled by the Flight of a Bird-1941

The Lightening Bird Blinded By Moonfire, 1955

Woman and the Bird in Night-1944

Woman, Birds, and a Star-1949

And I am ending with a painting whose title is one of the best that I have ever run across!

 A Dew Drop Falling from a Bird's Wing Wakes Rosalie, Who Has Been Asleep in the Shadow of a Spiders Web-1939

May you have a Joan Miró week, lyrical and magical.   

Here is the link to my original article featuring Joan Miró.

Fiber Goodness Just Over The Horizon

The Mid-West is about to go into a fiber daze!

I am putting out the word.  If you want to have some memorable fiber experiences, Neosho, Missouri will be the place for you.  Fiber Daze is  happening September 21-22th. 

This will be the second year for this event. There are classes for every interest, a fashion show, and a market to boot. To find out more about what is offered just go to the website.

And now comes a bit of self promotion.  I happen to be one of the teachers at Fiber Daze.  I am teaching a beginning color class that I call Color 101.  Just wrapping up a teaching career (over 32 years) of K-12 art, this is just up my alley.  

I have been planning mini projects to help students understand and have fun with color relationships. There is even story-time! Students will walk away with samples they did in class and a lot of new color knowledge.  Color was always one of my favorite things to teach.  Hope to see you there. 

Poodle Time!-Poodles and Cola Ads

Poodles and Cola=Stylin' in Mid-Century

Pepsi equated  active, modern, and stylish people with drinking Pepsi Cola, and of course, you had to own a Poodle.

1954-If you went to the beach, had a Poodle and had style, you had to drink Pepsi.
This is probably my favorite ad of the group and I was able to snag one on ebay.

1959-If you dress to the nines, have Poodles, you must drink Pepsi.

Coca-Cola had the more family approach with their ads.

So if you are in the hospital and can't have you favorite Poodle with you,

 a stuffed one will have to do. This is an ad designed by William A Smith.  In fact, I believe his daughter was the little girl.  I could not find a date, However,  she is probably in there to get

her tonsils taken out.  Back then, if you so much as sneezed, out came the tonsils.

1964-Even Santa drank Coke and brought Poodles for Christmas.
This is the original oil painting for the ad by Haddon Hubbard "Sunny" Sundblom.
The painting's title  is Things Go  Better With Coke.

Poodle Time!-Poodles and Movie Posters

Poodles and Movies From the 50's

Today's post has only two items. These two movie posters go together perfectly. The other posters will have to wait their turn. 

Has anyone else ever noticed that the most widely viewed poster from the 1954 Sabrina has Audrey Hepburn (in her gorgeous Givenchy ball gown) posing with two Standard Poodles? I guess it does make a statement. But here is a movie poster with the actual Poodle actor, known as David in the film. I have always considered that the little guy was in there for a symbol of sophistication and I love his collar. But the poor boy always seems to be handed off to someone or just shoved aside, when something more important comes along (this is my personal opinion, of course).  

Next up is the Doris Day/Ray Bolger 1952 musical April in Paris. The photo of Doris Day in a chorus girl outfit with six technicolor Poodles on the leash has been pretty popular on the Internet.  Rarely seen is this poster for the movie.  With it's limited color palette and stylized design, I think it is pretty cool.  

For a data base of Poodles in movies, here is a good place to go.  It is a part of the Poodle History Project. 

Sophia and Niko hope you have enjoyed our small bit of Poodle movie history.  Mom is
probably going to watch one of her old movies now,  so it is nap time.

Garden Thyme-Salsa As An Art Form

Summertime means fresh salsa time. For me, that means an explosion of color, texture, and taste that blows my taste buds away. Yes, I consider fresh salsa making an art form.

Fiesta Salsa Recipe:

2 large or 3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1 jalapeno chile, diced

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine in a bowl and let "meditate" in the fridge for a while.

Here are the players in this photo (type of ingredients, such as tomatoes, peppers, and onions change depending on what Michael brings in and what I feel the dish should look like). I have also added where Michael bought the seeds and extra info we can give you. 

Tomatoes


I used three different types of tomatoes in this salsa; a green, pink and orange.

• Granny Smith-this heirloom-type tomato is actually a hybrid from Totally Tomatoes. It is green like a Granny Smith apple and is crunchy like an apple. It lent a good surprise texture to the dish.  
• Persimmon-this is a beautiful orange hued, large heirloom tomato from Territorial Seed Company. Lovely flavor.
• Pink Beauty-this is a rosie-hued tomato. It is a hybrid but with many heirloom characteristics from Johnny's Selected Seeds: soft skin, real tomato flavor.

Everything Else

• Red Zeppelin Onion-a beautiful deep purple onion from Johnny's Selected Seeds.
• Green Onions (bunching onions)-Nabechan from Johnny's Selected Seeds. This variety is the nicest bunching, early Spring onion we've grown. Very good taste.
• Jalapeño pepper-El Jefe from Johnny's Selected Seeds-I noticed that the pic on Johnnys shows a green pepper. They do turn red if you wait longer and makes for a brighter dish. 

So this is the recipe for now. Michael grew 27 different varieties of tomatoes this year--some heirlooms, some hybrids--each carefully selected for FLAVOR potential. Some time I hope to give you list of our favorite, best-tasting tomatoes.


Who knows what the ingredients will be next week! Happy gardening and good eating!

Poodle Time !-Art That Has Been Inspired by Poodles

Every dog at sometime has probably inspired artists. Today's post has just a few works that has been inspired by

POODLES

 This is part one of a multi part series because Poodles have done a lot of inspiring! Let's begin our tour...........................

Two Miniature Black Poodles- Frederick Thomas Daws. R.A. (British, 1878-1949) was

One of Britin's premier animal painters. For the money you can still get his work at auctions. 

 Check out Encore Editions for 

reasonable posters.

Roxy by Tom Corbin, a Kansas City based artist who now has work on display at Kansas City's Box Gallery-now through July 27th.

The Blue Boy, One of the great mosaics by KG Studio in
Oakland California

"Since 1983, colourful giant animals have been spotted around the world. Some seem to emerge right out of the water, while others hang in the balance like some kind of animal laundry between close-knit buildings. Still others stand guard atop historic landmarks and downtown balconies. Created using recycled plastic bottles by Cracking Art Group, these animals represent the art collective's strong social and environmental ethic while bringing accessible contemporary art to the masses.

Read and see more animals here.

Pomp by Jennifer Davis

Niko hopes you have enjoyed our first art tour.

Poodle Time!-Poodles in Fashion Photography

This week's Poodle post highlights Poodles being used in fashion photos.  I are going to start with the 30's and work  forward to more current work. 

Vogue - July 1934 - Isabel Johnson Sitting with Poodle

  by Edward Steichen

Vogue- April 15, 1945, photograph by John Rawlings 

 Life Magazine, Photo by Nina Leen -I could not find the date.
I would guess early to mid 50s.

Italian Vogue, 2009-Photo by Greg Lotus,

Kerry Washington in July Italian Vogue-photo by Mark Seliger

Sophia hopes you have enjoyed our fashion journey together.