I Love…Golden Books
Before I get started singing the praises of Golden Books, I’m happy to announce that my contact page has just been freshly installed on my site! Come & help me test that everything’s working & in order, by sending me an email. Just come & say hi, & I’ll say hi back! I was going to put my info page up today too, but it’s getting late & I have dinner to make (vegan leek & “feta” pastries!), so I’ll make sure to do it during the week.
Just Like Me, written & illustrated by Leonard Weisgard, 1954
Now, down to business… I bet a lot of you grew up reading Golden Books. I love that they were such an accessible way to get kids reading & appreciating great illustration. Earlier this week, I was working on a picture, & it occurred to me that it was strangely reminiscent of the spine & endpapers of a Golden Book. It was purely incidental, but it just goes to show what sponges we are as children. How the things we read impact on us in such a profound way. Googling Golden Books today, I discovered this fabulous blog, sadly no longer updated, but it’s a little gold[en book]mine of mid-20th century illustration. I’ve posted the merest snippet of what you’ll find there, from some of my favourite illustrators, such as Richard Scarry & the amazing Alice & Martin Provensen. I owned this edition of A Child’s Garden of Verses & a few of their other books. I wish I still had them!
A Child’s Garden of Verses, written by Robert Louis Stevenson & illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen, 1951
The Happy Little Handsaw, written by Robert E. Mahaffay & illustrated by Milli Eaton, 1955
The Golden Calendar, illustrated by Richard Scarry, 1956
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From the Archives: Art & Industry
I couldn’t find much information about Art & Industry, but I can tell you it was a British commercial art magazine that was in circulation pre-WW2, at least until the 1950s. I own twenty-one issues spanning from 1937 through to 1941. With the onset of war, the magazine shrunk from 8×11.5″(20.3×29.2cm) to a slim 5.5×8″ (14×20.3cm), but the publishers displayed exceptional tenacity by not only surviving paper rationing, but the bombing of their offices during The Blitz. In the November 1940 issue, they report:
“We apologise to our subscribers for the late appearance of this issue owing to air raid damage in which we lost much valuable property and suffered great dislocation of our organisation. This is not our first loss from the raid, but it merely adds to our determination.”
In the December 1940 issue they show photographs of the total destruction of their building & relocation from Leicester Square to Covent Garden.
Unfortunately there are no colour plates in the wartime issues (although fabulously colourful covers, as you can see). The two images below are from September & August 1937 respectively. On the left we have Hungarian wrapping papers, & right, a selection of book jackets by Barnett Freedman (top), Edward Bawden (centre), Eric Fraser (bottom left) & Rex Whistler (bottom right).
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Vegan Laksa
Yummy vegetables & things before the soup goes in.
Laksa ready to eat – yum!
Two blog posts in one day – woo! I had already written this recipe out for friends, so I thought I’d share it as it’s really delicious (even if I say so myself) – I hope you enjoy it!
This is by no means a traditional Laksa recipe, it’s my own version using commercially prepared curry & laksa paste & whatever vegetables I happen to have handy. I like to make Laksa when I’m feeling a little under the weather or if I haven’t been eating properly, as it’s loaded with lovely fresh vegetables. It’s very spicy & warming (fantastic if you have a cold because it really helps clear your head & chest) yet because it’s also really zingy & zesty, I find it’s just as nice in the hot weather too. It’s very filling, most definitely a meal in itself.
Just a word about the yellow curry & laksa pastes… A lot of supermarket brands have shrimp paste in them, so make sure you read the ingredients! I used to buy a readily available brand of laksa paste that was vegan, but I just finished my last jar & it doesn’t seem to be around anymore. Next time I’ll try Lamyong brand. Also, if you’re concerned about the fat content, just use one can of coconut cream & make up the rest of the liquid with water or stock.
Recipe after the jump…
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From the Archives: 1970
Here are some of the gorgeous illustrations from my favourite book when I was three – Nurseryland Annual 1970 – an illustrated book of poetry. I loved poetry when I was a young’un, & loved this book in particular because of the beautiful pictures. Google hasn’t been very enlightening about the book’s illustrator, simply credited as Hutchings, but what a talented artist – I love his use of textures. I thought these pictures were so magical when I was little, in fact I still do! I loved this book so much, it eventually fell apart. My mum repaired it with tape, which you can see in the third image. I could have Photoshopped that out when I scanned the pages, but I think seeing the repairs on this beloved old book is kind of nice!
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“Let me do the smiling for both of us”
Jack Lemmon in The Apartment, 1960
Do you remember the episode of The Simpsons where Lisa is too sad to play dodgeball, & Marge tells her, “Always be yourself…From now on, let me do the smiling for both of us.” It’s one of my favourite episodes – so sweet & sad.
Browsing some of my favourite blogs, it’s easy to assume that other people’s lives are an endless parade of sunshine & lollipops. I absolutely understand why people blog about nice things – lovely, inspiring, aspirational things – it’s natural to want to put your best self forward, especially if your blog is a marketing vehicle for your business. I sure don’t want my blog to be a littany of gripes either!
But I just want to put this out there… If you are dealing with illness, either your own or someone you care for, or have financial troubles, dysfunctional relationships, you’re feeling discouraged, unmotivated, or you’re lonely, or just happen to be going through some stuff at the moment…you are most definitely not alone!
If you’re slumped on the sofa in your PJs at 3.00pm watching Love Boat, contemplating cornflakes for dinner, while it seems the rest of the world is ambitiously setting New Year’s resolutions & projects…just remember that hardly anyone’s life really does look like a spread from a glossy design magazine. I bet that underneath the gloss, there’s a load of junk shoved in the cupboards & dust bunnies under the bed. Perhaps an old tube of athlete’s foot cream in the bathroom cabinet or some unidentifiable mouldy lump stuck at the back of the fridge.
There are loads of corny, motivational quotes out there that I’m sure you don’t want to hear, but I quite like the succinctness of this one from that dogged old curmudgeon Winston Churchill: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
Here’s to everyone who’s had a cruddy 2011 – may 2012 be less cruddy! Yay!
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Here We Are…2012
New Year’s Day might be just another day, but it’s nice to consider it a fresh start when you feel you need one. 2011 wasn’t so great for me in lots of ways, but I’ve spent a lot of time laying the groundwork for a better 2012, so I’m feeling very hopeful.
With the New Year comes my new shop – finally – opening in January, & a focus back on art & illustration once again.
Craft Cult has taken up way more of my time than anticipated, which I shouldn’t complain about, because it’s been so very successful for Julian & I, but we both feel it’s time to refocus on our art careers, so we’re closing down part of our advertising space – the carousel – mid-January, which will free up a lot more time for us individually. For those of you who count on Craft Cult’s affordable advertising, don’t worry, we’re still booking sidebar ads.
I am so excited to be dedicating my time to making art again, but a little bit of apprehension creeps in when I look around at all the amazing artists & illustrators who’ve sprouted up in the last couple of years, & I worry that Magic Jelly will be lost in the crowd. All I can do is try my very best, & that is just what I intend to do!
What did you get up to for New Year’s Eve? We went to see A Chorus Line (absolutely fantastic!) & watched the fireworks afterwards. Had champagne, & a delicious sparkling red, & a couple of Campari cocktails. Little bit of a headache today, but I’m having a quiet one watching The Damned Don’t Cry in air-conditioned comfort (it’s 41C outside!) with a big frosty glass of cranberry juice.
Back to business tomorrow, making things for my shop, which I’m very excited to show you all. I just prettied up my Twitter page the other day too – come on over & say hi!
Wishing you all a Bright & Happy New Year – let’s make it a good one!
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A Handmade Christmas
Did you have a good Christmas? My aim was to have a relaxing, stress-free time, but it never quite happens that way does it? The last few days before Christmas were a flurry of making & baking. We decided to make each other presents this year – here are a few pics of the things I made. I wanted to make things I don’t normally do & I used vintage graphics instead of my own artwork – I wanted to give everyone something they wouldn’t be expecting from me. Despite the last minute rush, I really had a lot of fun making fudge, shortbreads, soy candles, compact mirrors, lip balms & potpourri sachets. It wasn’t so much fun making chocolate truffles…they turned out a little lumpy & I somehow managed to get chocolate everywhere. I received some beautiful gifts in return. My sister Cass & her boyfriend Dave planted me a herb garden & made delicious walnut shortbreads, & my best friend Mark & his fiancé Stevie made gift boxes of bath & beauty products with the most gorgeous packaging.
I hope you had a chance to catch up with the people you love & had a wonderful time! I’m looking forward to doing nothing for the rest of today…maybe some reading & DVD watching, & a sandwich made from leftover glazed seitan roast with cashew lemon & thyme stuffing. Yum!
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Done vs. Perfect
You’ve heard that quote, “Done is better than perfect”… Is it really? Must they be mutually exclusive? Must they compete with one another? If “Done” was in a wrestling match with “Perfect”, who would win?
I am a perfectionist from way back, & I don’t mean in a good way, I mean in an annoying, procrastinaty, counter-productive way. I’ve needed to redefine “perfection” in order to spare my sanity & get things done, but even so, here I am, labouring for days (weeks…months!) over painstaking detail… But God is in the detail, right? Or is it the Devil? Perhaps they’re both in there, fighting the same fight as Done & Perfect.
My point is, what’s wrong with aiming for completion and perfection? The way I look at it, perfection is more about the process than the outcome; it’s about taking your vision, that idea that excites & inspires you, & communicating it as clearly & accurately as you can manage. It’s about striving to make something the best it can be, testing your mettle, giving it your all. And in doing that, the importance of the outcome seems to pale in comparison to the process – the perfection comes from doing it with love & passion, energy, focus & your very best efforts. There’s so much more pride & fulfilment in that than simply “done”.
How weird & amazing, that what starts as a tiny spark between synapses, then a scribble in your sketchbook, turns into this fully-realised thing: a product of your dedication to that little fledgling idea in its flight from abstract to concrete. It’s easy to take that for granted, but it’s a really big deal!
Which segues me nicely into my next topic…my shop…*sigh*…my shop… Firstly it was going to be ready by October, then November, then the holiday season passed me by… The good news is, we’re just putting the final flourishes together – the cherry on the sundae – doing a bit more testing, & the Magic Jelly Emporium will be good to go for the New Year. In the case of my shop, I chose “perfect & done” over “done”.
Sure, I missed the Christmas season, but I don’t like to look at that as Done: 1, Perfect: 0. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about my business, it’s that there’s no such thing as instant gratification, it’s a slow process building a little empire. It’s an investment. Part of doing things just right is because this is a super-competitive market, & branding, marketing & presentation matter. But more than that, it’s just about personal pride & fulfilment, a love of what I’m doing & desire to do my very best, & recognition that it’s not all about the money.
That is why my shop isn’t open yet, because I want it to be a work of art along with the things I’m selling in it. But it’s coming – it’s going to be a great way to start off 2012!
