Scenes for Halloween

Happy Halloween! Here are a few scenes from around the apartment this year. We aren’t hosting a party, but we have had friends over throughout the month. But even without visitors, I’m glad I decorated. There’s something fun about having a festive home, especially as the days get shorter and darker and you find yourself inside watching spooky movies and reading scary stories.

Forest Park Casket Races 2014

The Forest Park 3rd Annual Casket Races were held on Saturday and they were wickedly fun! It was the perfect day–cool and crisp and sunny. And look at those leaves! We found a good seat on the curb kind of in the middle of the “track” and had a great time seeing the funny costumes and caskets. My favorites were the guys above, who all dressed like The Count from Sesame Street. (Although, I do believe those giant heads cost them the race…not very aerodynamic.) I also loved this Weekend At Bernie’s themed casket. (The second picture shows them carrying Bernie during the post-race casket parade.)The Forest Park Library got into the action with zombie librarians. And the Kiwanis raced a peanut casket.

I love that this happens in Forest Park!

(To see last year’s Casket Races, go here.)

Spooky Short Stories for Halloween

Eeps, Halloween is fast approaching! Are you in the mood for some spooky reading? In years past, our book group has read some good books for Halloween: Dracula, Frankenstein, Phantom of the Opera, and The Jungle to name a few. My favorites, though, are the short stories we’ve read. Just because a story is short doesn’t mean it can’t leave a haunting impact. These are my favorites:

“Graves for the Living” from Nightwebs by Cornell Woolrich (1937): This one has it all–secret societies, paranoia, fear of being buried alive–such a good one for Halloween week. The fifty pages turn quickly and you find yourself gasping for air and being suspicious of everyone! Woolrich also wrote the short story “It Had To Be Murder“ which became Alfred Hitchcock’s famous movie Rear Window.

“The Apple Tree” from The Birds & Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier (1952): We inched outside of our “pre-1930s” restrictions for this one and it was worth it. A man is “haunted” by his dead wife in the form of an apple tree on his property. “The Birds,” another story-to-Hitchcock movie favorite is included in this collection.

“The Monkey’s Paw” from The Lady of the Barge by W. W. Jacobs (1902): Three wishes on a mummified monkey’s paw…what could go wrong? This was named one of the scariest short stories of all time and I would have to agree!

“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe (1841): It’s the first modern detective story, but it has enough mystery and suspense to be a great “ghost story” too! Anything from Poe works this time of year though, right?

What creepy stories have you read lately?

P.S. Totally unrelated: Happy Anniversary to my parents, celebrating 42 years today!! (Here’s a picture of them on their wedding day!)

Our Pleasant Home Book Group

I’ve mentioned being in a book club a few times over the past few years, but I figured it’s time to write a post about it. It is one of my favorite things, so I can’t believe it’s taken so me so long to talk about it here.

I know a lot of people are in book clubs. They read a book, they (may) talk about it, they drink wine, they eat snacks and go home. Our version is a little bit different. Our book club was originally started in 2002 as a park district program with the Pleasant Home in Oak Park. The group met in the Pleasant Home library and read books that would have been in the home’s library during the John Farson era (early turn of the century.) The first book was So Big by Edna Ferber. Apparently there were close to fifty people at the first meeting and the group gradually whittled down to a small group of core members who came every month with a handful of people coming and trying it out for a bit and not returning. There are still four original members from that very first meeting.

I joined the group in 2008. I was taking a drawing class at Pleasant Home and my teacher told me about the group. I had never been in a book club before, but the premise really interested me. I was a literature major in college and I missed reading “the classics”. Actually, at the time, I was hardly reading anything because I was so busy working. A book club would force me back into the reading habit and this book club in particular was reading great older titles, something I knew I’d enjoy.

My first book was A Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton. I read it diligently, loved it and went to the meeting. As I walked in the door, I noticed that everyone was older than me. I felt a little bit out of place for a quick second and then instantly at home. Anne took down my information to send me a book list, my (small) contribution to the discussion was met with interest, Peggy invited me to lunch with the group…it was welcoming and I remember going home thinking that I had found “my people”–a feeling only matched by meeting fellow letter writers.

Now, six years later, one thing I love most about our group is that we are multi-generational. Our ages span from twenty-ish to seventy-ish. (We’ve had three members pass away, most recently Anne, who was in her eighties.) Everyone brings such a different perspective to the book because of her age and background. Our discussions would be much different, I think, if we were all women in our thirties. The other thing I love is that the group formed organically. We are all friends/friendly now, but for the most part, it is a group of strangers who have the interest of old literature in common. And, while it is all women now, at a few points in the twelve year history of the group, there have been male members.

In February, we had our last meeting at Pleasant Home. They decided to stop hosting our group as a park district program. (The house is open very limited hours and apparently paying a staff member to be there to open the door for us was too much for the Home’s budget.) So, now we meet in our homes–our “pleasant homes”–and it’s quite nice. The hostess usually bakes a little something and serves coffee and tea. While meeting in the Pleasant Home library was always interesting, our own homes are much more comfortable.

One of our biggest challenges is finding solid books that are still in print or are still available in a large enough quantity for each of us to borrow a copy from the library system. A lot of times, a great title will come to our attention, but since it’s not widely available, we can’t read it. Right now, we are reading mostly from the 1930s and before, so obviously, even after twelve years, there is still a huge amount of literature yet to read. And, believe it or not, the group is reading Jane Austen for the first time in December!

I’m hoping to do another post about my favorite titles that we’ve read and of our top “scary reads” from past Octobers. In the meantime, I’d love to hear if you’re in a book club and what kinds of books you read!

P.S. That’s us pictured above (with the exception of Susan R and two new members) after one of our last meetings in the Pleasant Home library.

Why Be Good?

On Sunday night Peggy and I went to see Why Be Good? a recently rediscovered silent film from the 1920s starring Colleen Moore*. Why Be Good? was considered lost for many years, but it was rediscovered in an old Italian movie archive in 2012. This was its 21st century North American debut and it was shown as part of Chicago International Film Festival, which Colleen Moore helped start fifty years ago.

In the movie, Colleen Moore plays Pert, a poor flapper girl who is a wildly good dancer, stays out late, wears risqué dresses and makeup and has the appearance of a “bad girl.” But she’s really a good girl underneath it all. She meets a rich man who falls in love with her, but is hesitant to marry Pert because he fears she is too wild (a.k.a. not chaste.) The movie follows the two of them to different night clubs, giving us a glimpse into the “flapper” lifestyle and 1920s night life. (I couldn’t stop looking at the glassware during all of the drinking scenes!)

Because the movie was made Pre-Code, there were racy (for the time) shots of Pert in her bra and slip and suggestive (for the time) dialogue. (Of course, it’s nothing like movies today.) The wardrobe was just fabulous. Every shoe, every slip, every dress, every coat, every handbag was breathtaking. At one point Pert pulls out a slip that had her name embroidered on it. They don’t make slips like that anymore. (Do they even make slips?) And the music, especially the jazz in the nightclubs, was fantastic. I think there needs to be a soundtrack release. And I know a lot of people don’t like silent films (or haven’t given them a chance) but with Colleen Moore’s expressive facial expressions and the music, I didn’t even realize I was reading the title cards.

The movie was introduced by CIFF founder Michael Kutza (pictured, underneath Colleen Moore on the big screen). He was in his twenties when he had the idea to start an International Film Festival in Chicago. Since he was so young and not socially connected, he was introduced to Colleen Moore. She was living in Chicago at the time and still had many Hollywood connections. In the early years, she helped get a lot of movie stars involved with the festival and gave it a strong start in the community. He told a hilarious story about wanting to invite Joan Crawford to lunch. She was in Chicago for business during her time on the Board of Directors for Pepsi-Co. Colleen Moore told him no, that Joan’s “wings” (facelift tape around the eyes, something like this.) would never make it through lunch!

I’ve never gone to any of the film festivals in Chicago, but this experience made me want to pay more attention to these local opportunities. I’m not a huge movie person but I do love old gems and I enjoy learning about the history of Hollywood. Peggy is a movie encyclopedia so it’s always fun to go with her and learn a little bit more than I would as a movie novice. For instance, Peggy knew Neil Hamilton, the actor who played Pert’s love interest, also played Commissioner Gordon on Batman (the TV show.)

Now that Why Be Good? has been found and re-released, it will hopefully show up at more movie festivals and indie theaters. I highly recommend keeping an eye out for it, even if you only go to see the stunning Colleen Moore and her stylish flapper wardrobe!

*Chicagoans might know Colleen Moore for her fairy castle at the Museum of Science & Industry.

P.S. A little bit more about the discovery and restoration of Why Be Good?   There are some great still shots of the movie so you can get a little taste of the clothes!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

…and many more!

P.S. The fact that I had to dig out an old wedding photo just shows that I don’t have enough pictures of you!

31 Postcards in 31 Days…So Far

I wish I could say that those postcards pictured above were just a few I’ve sent out this month, but truthfully…I’ve only written one (which still needs to be dropped in the mail!) The three postcards above are from Yuki, Katie and Lisa. Yuki and I have been exchanging postcards since this summer. Her card has fantastic postage stamps–you can see it here on Instagram. Katie is using 31 Postcards to practice her monster drawings. I dig this monster-girl’s tiny earrings and her toothy smile. And Lisa is mailing random animals to her friends, family and pen pals this month. As much as I’d love to keep the postcard in tact, I’m afraid I can’t resist cutting out the sweet moose. (I think he might make a nice addition to this paper play set.)

I’m trying to finish decorating for Halloween this week. Do you decorate for Halloween? I know it’s kind of silly, but I really enjoy it. Hopefully you don’t mind if I share some pictures of our apartment as soon as I figure out how to take them without the sun. It’s so gloomy and rainy here this week–perfect fall weather if you ask me. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t have very many days to crunch through the leaves before they got all wet.

Jackie Lakely at Gather

My artist-friend Jackie is showing her latest series of paintings at Gather, an arts and crafts studio/children’s play place in Evanston. On Saturday, Peggy, Naoto and I drove up for Jackie’s opening. Jackie combines painting and mixed media collage in most of her work. This particular series is The Alphabet Series–twenty-six pieces that incorporate objects and animals representing each letter. With few exceptions, Jackie’s work is bright and vibrant and layered with paints, papers, patterns, textures and colors. We had such a fun time walking through the alphabet and finding all of the bits and pieces within each painting to represent the letter. For instance, Party Cat above has carrot cake, candles, cups of coffee, cookies, cupcake, cat…Many of the pieces had a bit of phone book, the Periodic Table of Elements and postage stamps (!!!) worked into them. Hillside House is a great example of these tiny details. The elements of hydrogen and helium are there, plus a tiny map of the hemispheres, some H phone book pages (including  the number for my favorite place, Hala Kahiki tiki bar!!), and the best part….…the vintage cancelled HOMEMAKERS postage stamp!! It was so much fun looking for these tiny details. My pictures really don’t do justice to Jackie’s work. The layers and textures get a little lost on a computer screen. But if you’re in Evanston, go see it in person! Kids or no kids, Gather is a really neat space, and obviously I think Jackie’s work is worth the trip.

From top to bottom: Garden Friends (starring Jackie’s greyhound, Alex), Night Lights, Bluebird & Bear, Party Cat, Hillside House and Red Tent. Jackie has a post on her blog where she shares some details about the paintings and you can see more of the paintings.

Cocktail Perfected: The Negroni

I tried a Negroni for the first time at a restaurant a couple of summers ago. It was okay, but not so great that I wanted to buy the ingredients to make one at home. But somehow a bottle of Campari made it into our bar and I haven’t stopped drinking them since. I’m convinced that the restaurant that served me my original Negroni didn’t use good booze. There is no other reason I wouldn’t have liked this drink. With the right gin and vermouth, the Negroni sings a bitter break-up tune that wins my heart.

The Negroni

1 oz gin (I like North Shore No 6.)

1 oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica is my favorite.)

1 oz Campari

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and pour into a cocktail glass.

OR

Pour ingredients into an old fashioned glass with ice and stir.

Garnish with an orange peel.

Enjoy while catching up on your mail for World Post Day.

October Paper Parcel

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve shared my paper parcels from Saturday Morning Vintage. It’s not because they haven’t been wonderful, they have! I just got a little bit tired of writing about them. (Is it okay to admit that?) But i figured, since Halloween is fast approaching and this months paper parcel is right on theme, I would share some quick pictures of all the amazing vintage bits! The parcel came wrapped in a kraft paper bag with a sweet vintage bat cupcake topper taped on the front. Most of the paper parcel was orange and black (obviously!) but there were hints of purple too. Some of the larger pieces included patterned papers and a page from a vintage insect book. There were also tickets, price tags, milk caps, game board money and a Sleepy Hollow stamp (one of my favorites!) I loved the Halloween Charade cards. Some of my favorite pieces were the horoscope card complete with bats, owls and cats and the vintage pharmacy labels. And, last but not least, the array of playing cards completed the paper parcel. The witch and the jack-o-lanterns are my Halloween favorites! Oh and the round scalloped leaf is a vintage paper coaster–cute right?

I’m excited to use some of the pieces for mail art this month. I just started decorating for Halloween yesterday and it’s gotten me in the mood for the season. I’ll share more soon!

To see the other Paper Parcel posts, go here.