And a fun time was had by all!

DeborahConn's Watercolor Monotype Workshops at Stifel & Capra are always a big hit!

For $60 you get 3 hours of instruction, get to meet new, always fun fellow students and you get to leave with art!  What could be better?

You might be surprised to learn that these efforts will all completed by first timers to the class!  It's always fun to see the some what magic results when the prints are pulled off Debby's big hand rolling printing press.

In the workshop you learn various methods of applying color and of making a print.  We have even heard of a large format painter that used her CAR to pull a print!

Want to join us next time? Email workshops@stifelandcapra.com for an invitation to our next class.

For the first time since 1962!

This is Mom & Dad Wells getting ready to cruise on Dad's New HARLEY DAVIDSON trike.
Now you know where I get my free wheeling attitude from.

Spring has sprung as you can see from this photo'sbackground.  We are crazy busy at the shop.  It is ALL good.  Come see.

Dorothy Parker & 5th Anniversaries

While the SuperBowl is always a fun party it is somewhat of a harbinger in the Stifel house. The days after are the anniversary of when my husband lost his leg and spent a month in the ICU after complications from a strep infection. 5 years doesn't blunt the fact that Bob is still missing a leg (one of the neighborhood kids did ask if it would grow back, like a salamander) and that he still suffers phantom pain as a result of the operation. I often tell him, "sorry darling, I am still in the 'happy you are here' stage. Hopefully that will never end.

To celebrate we usually invite the immediate neighbors over that helped me juggle kids, therapies, phone calls & doctors appointments. As I am pigheadedly stubborn about asking for help this time of year is also a great reminder of how one's friends can ease your pain and carry your burdens for you. That is, if you will let them.

Let's raise a toast to those we still have, those that we don't and all that we love.

road trip- New York!

We had a lovely weekend (yeah, yeah I know it is Thursday) visiting my old roommate & his family in North Jersey last week. They live in the VERY pictoresque town of Maplewood. Maplewood is the kind of place that is made for the likes of Stifel & Capra. The main drag is two streets wide and not a chain store in sight. ALL of the shops, & restaurants are privately held, most shopkeepers are the owners. Very charming and very friendly. Lots of eye candy.

Pete & Judy indulged us and DROVE us to the Brooklyn Flea Market on Sunday. In the winter the Market moves indoors into a GORGEOUS old bank. The architecture defies description. It was so intricate with the grill and fretwork. Hard to fathom all the tiles were laid in one at a time. Amazing.

I bought a funky mid century decanter set for the shop and some scrumptious gnarly metal letters to use in my art. Of course I am just carrying the letters around at the moment exclaiming to one & all how COOL they are. Junk Nerd, that's me!

Happy New Year! Can you tell what my resolution is?

I love New Year's. Even more than spring (although Beth Hudgens' "Spring" above appeals most) I love the fresh start that New Year brings.  New calender, clean slate, all the excesses of the old year (cookies, chardonnay?) blown away in the fresh gust that is the New Year.

Of course when I look back at the year past I have a bad tendency to see what I did NOT do.  Keep up with blogging, work that social media, make some art, ANY art.  Lose some weight.  What the HECK did I do all last year other than rearrange the furniture at the shop and drive my kids around???

I saw babies born. Saw friends, parents, sons and marriages die.  Worked hard.  Worked on getting over myself (still not quite there).  Laughed, threw parties, cried, prayed harder for people than I ever have in my life to no avail.  Tried to get over that too.  Partially succeeded. 

So here I am.  Older, marginally wiser, and ready to begin again for the 50th time!

When looking at vintage clothes folks are CONSTANTLY astounded by how little ladies were back mid century.  Skirts with 22 inch waists, impossibly slim pants (although some lucky ladies can still wear them, see prior post!) make them seem more like works of art then actual apparel! 

The other thing that was little? The PRICE TAGS!  This is from the 1950's check it out.  Makes you long for the "good old days", although I wouldn't want to wear the girdles!  Every body is beautiful in it's own way...  Cherish yours.

Just a little jealous.

Being 6 foot 2 inches tall I have an advantage. It doesn't matter how much weight I lose or how much I exercise I will NEVER be able to fit into the rockin' vintage clothes we have in the shop. So I guess I am spared the agony of all the ladies that wistfully say "I used to be able to fit into a dress like that." On the other hand I am more than a little jealous. They just don't make them like that any more, you know?

SO cute! She actually ended up with a beaded drop waist dress from the 1930's. Looked like a movie star! These two ensembles are still in the shop. As of today at least! Have a fashionable day!

Sweets for the Sweet!

Cutest baby EVER! Maybe the little guys in your life MIGHT be cuter but Mama Becca of "Tea with Mrs. B" and I might disagree while our man models his brand new Christmas tree hat. Super cute! We had out 2nd annual art and gift market on Saturday. Lots of fun guest vendors and a couple in house favorites (visit out facebook page http://www.facebook.com/StifelandCapra for more pics!).

We have been busy little elves pulling the vintage Christmas goodies out of the crafty cellar.  I am TRYING to pace myself on days like this but it is kind of like when you go car shopping "just to look" and come home with a new vehicle. 'Tis hard not to go nuts once you get started.  No one seems to be mind though...  Still feels like I am rushing the season a bit. Although one would never know it from watching TV!  I think I saw my first Christmas ad two days BEFORE Halloween. ugh.

I am SUPER excited about our new stock.  Almost to much to type.  will post more pics soon!

What's not there.

It's telling when the mundane crashes into the profound. 

No cute blog entry last week because all the awesome shots of Judy's daughter Haley looking marvelous in my oh so tiny vintage clothes somehow vanished from my camera. NEVER since I switched to digital as an entire file been deleted.  I am really at a loss to explain it.

Wednesday after tediously nagging my son about his missing, forgotten, misplaced shoes, homework, electronic devices etc. and explaining (again tediously) how when you have "issues" like my dyslexia one has to get in the habit of creating fail safes, adding columns three times, spell check et al I promptly misplaced my driver's licence, credit card and gift receipt for my husband's birthday gift because I had them in my pocket instead of the purse I was too lazy to carry into the store and now they are just gone. I am really at a loss to explain it.

Yesterday while meeting my friend Anna for lunch, she explained that one of the hard things about life after losing her 12 year old son to a freak flashflood is what's missing.  Hearing kids playing outside and knowing your kid isn't there.  They say time heals but I don't know how.  I really am at a loss to explain it.

Tending

Things need to be tended.  Friendships, homes, children, marriages.  My husband & I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary and my best-sister-in-the-whole-world offered to take the kids so that we could tend to our relationship.  It's reassuring that the things that can really dork up a trip, rain, horrific traffic et al, seemed immaterial as we cruised down the road catching up with each other.  Terribly pleasant really knowing you are heading toward relaxation and not homework or in-law issues!
The weather broke Saturday night, just in time for us to mow the SHIN high grass before the sun went down.  OOOohhh, how romantic.

But indeed, a reminder that everything regular tending.  Lawns and marriages alike.  Love you honey!

Enjoy the last flower of summer.

Which came 1st? The chicken or the egg?

The chicken or egg question is one for the ages but I think the modern version is "How come the more I do the more I have to do?" Kind of like the modern classic children's book - "If you give a mouse a cookie,he is going to want some milk to go with it and then..." I start out thinking a corner of the store looks frumpy or neglected and so I start cleaning it out. And then it leads to moving the furniture, rearranging the merchandise, and ranting about how I could have I let it get to this state?

The answer, for me, at least, is that I like to start things. Not maintain them,not finish them but I LOVE the chaos of taking the plan in my mind to bringing it to fruition. I am not sure if it just a way to seek approbation or some deeply developed psychosis about not being about to leave well enough alone! Let's face it you get a lot more "oohs" and "aahs" from completely rearranging the layout of the room than you get from dusting the place from top to bottom. If my defence, I DO clean when I am rearranging so maybe, just maybe "well enough" becomes better.

Stormy Times

The last 30 days have been some of the most tumultuous of my life. I have watched my husband's family have to make rapid, loving, and irrevocable decisions regarding their feisty mother's safety because of her rapidly fading memory.

I have been witness to the love, care and devotion exhibited when a chance step led to a fall that lead to the passing of a surrogate mom, "Great Dame", friend, artist and supporter.

And most shockingly, mourned with a whole community of believers as my dear friend Anna lost her 12 year old son in last week's flooding.
Words fail to express the sorrow I feel. The waves of emotion. The ability to truly pray unceasingly for the well-being of others. Honestly I didn't know I had it in me. My heart, along with many others is broken. Not so much for Dotty, Jackie and Jack. They are cared for, loved, or resurrected. But for those they have left behind who will miss them. Every day. It seems impossible that life will ever be right again.

The cover of Jack's program on Monday was his favorite Bible verse; words to cherish and inspire - Luke 1:37
For nothing will be impossible with God

Watercolor Monotype Workshops at Stifel and Capra

Hot fun in the summertime! Workshops continued last week as 4 1st timers learned to handle Deborah Conn's printing press. "No, turn it the OTHER way".

Sixty dollars, 3 hours leave with new techniques and completed pieces of art.

What's not to love?

Debby's next class is August 16th. To register email WORKSHOPS@stifelandcapra.com. Come play!

Happy Birthday to us! year 4 & Counting!

It takes a village that is for sure! Thank you to my sister Robin for picking up the yummy cakes (yes we ate TWO this big!) for the Birthday Bash last Thursday. Super enthusiastic crowd.

Some folks, like Diana, came to see what caught their fancy. Diana found paintings and accessories to fall in love with. I think she looks like a spokesmodel for us, don't you?

Willa came in with her girlfriends before lunching and scored not one but two Rough & Tumble Vintage dresses that looked like they were custom made for her!

We went through a case of bubbly, lots of sweaty hugs (102 outside. ugh!) and waves of well wishes. Thanks for everything. Yes, I am talking to you.

Saturday Markets are fun, fun, fun!

We are starting off our monthly First Saturday Market with a BANG! The weather (unlike last year!) was gorgeous and we had quite of bit foot traffic that translated into lots of happy shoppers!

I dragged treasure hunter extraordinaire Betsy with me to the Eastern Shore and let her in on some of my "secret places" as we loaded up my Ford and hauled everything back home, cleaned it up, got it tagged and on the floor before FIRSTfriday. WHEW! I think I hurt myself. But it was all worth it as we had a record 4th of July weekend crowd at STifel & Capra for a FIRSTfriday. Lots of fun.

Kelly of Stylish Patina loaded TWO pickup truck loads into the parking lot to the delight of passersby. Want to see more? Visit her new boutique in the corner of the shop!

And check out the newest offerings from Freshly Pressed and Interlachen Soak Co. Me? Off to the beach with a car of teenagers for the weekend. Pray for me.