Graveyard fiesta

Greta Garb-oh!

Momma is happily buying fabric and sewing right now with so many lovely Day of the Dead fabrics to choose from.

This morning she made three papel picado skirts, each one trimmed with pink, aqua, or orange Cluny lace.

The images on this fabric are papel picado, a Mexican folk art. Commonly cut from tissue paper using a guide and small chisels, papel picado can also be made by folding tissue paper and using small, sharp scissors. Common themes includes birds, floral designs, and skeletons.

They are frequently displayed for both secular and religious occasions, such as Easter, Christmas, Día de Muertos, as well as during weddings, quinceañeras, baptisms, and christenings. In Mexico, papel picado are incorporated into altars during the Day of the Dead. 

Isn't Josefina pretty in her camisa and skirt?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/202281293/papel-picado-skirt-for-18-dolls

Día de Muertos

Greta Garb-oh!

Living in the Southwest, Momma has become a fan of many Mexican and Hispanic traditions.

One of her favorites is the calavera (Spanish for "skull"), a sugar or clay model of a human skull which is used in the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead and the Roman Catholic holiday All Souls Day. 

So she went a little nuts when she spotted this fabric decorated with colorful calaveras. (Momma decided that My Dear Friend Josefina's Feast Outfit was the perfect pattern for this outfit.) She chose a sparkly, white calico for the camisa to mimic the sugar skulls.

The China poblana (or Chinese Pueblan) is known as a traditional dress for women in the Mexican Republic, although it was only worn in some urban areas in the middle and southeast of the country, before it disappeared in the second half of the 19th century.

The China poblana is made with a white blouse, with fringing and embroidery in geometric and floral designs in bright colors. (The blouse was sufficiently low-cut to allow part of the neck and the bosom to be seen.)

A castor skirt (or "beaver"), named after the material it was made from, was decorated with sequins and camarones (literally, shrimp) that formed geometric and floral shapes. 

A white slip with the lower hem criss-crossed with zig-zagged lacework would peek out under the skirt, and served to keep the form of a woman attired in the china dress from showing in silhouette.

Clementine loves her new outfit! Don't you?

No guts, no gory

When my Big Sister and her Cousins started collecting American Girl dolls years ago, Momma knew she had to become a dolly doctor or go bankrupt.

Poor Samantha and Josefina arrived for surgery last week, but Momma had la grippe and then what sounded suspiciously like a consumptive cough.

Today was the day. Momma examined the patients while I tried to calm their nerves.

Poor Josefina was in pretty good shape - except her left arm had fallen off! Samantha had a bad case of Floppy Legs, and her arms weren't much better.

One hour, some elastic, some brass ferrules and washers, and one bottle cap (artificial shoulder replacement) later, both Josefina and Samantha are ready to go back to their new homes.

Does your doll need surgery, too? Let Me know at steampunkaddie (at) gmail dot com and I'll tell Momma.

National treasure

You might recall me mentioning Mary J. Colter last year when we went to the Grand Canyon.

In 1901, the Fred Harvey Company (of the famous Harvey Houses and Harvey Girls) offered Colter, an American architect and designer, the job of decorating the Alvarado Hotel in Albuquerque, N.M.

Colter began working full-time for the company in 1910, moving from interior designer to architect. For the next 30 years, working as one of few female architects and in rugged conditions, Colter completed 21 projects for Harvey.

Of all of her work, Colter considered the sprawling, hacienda-style Spanish Colonial Revival architecture La Posada Hotel (1929) in Winslow, Ariz., her masterpiece. She designed the entire resort from the building to its gardens, furniture, china—even the maids' uniforms.

She also created a series of landmark hotels and commercial lodges through the southwest, including the Phantom Ranch buildings (1922) at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and five structures on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. (Four "M.E.J. Colter Buildings," were listed as a group as a National Historic Landmark in 1987.)

The La Posada closed to the public in 1957 and its furnishings were auctioned off in 1959. It had been scheduled for demolition several times before The National Trust for Historic Preservation found out about La Posada’s peril and added it to their endangered list.

Thankfully, it was purchased from the Santa Fe Railway in 1994 and a $12 million restoration has restored the hotel to Colter's original vision of La Posada as the grand hacienda of a wealthy Spanish landowner.

Josefina should be so lucky!

 

The adventurous type

I've been thinking.

Clementine and I are always having adventures of one kind or another, but we're starting to think that others might like to occasionally join us.

Would you?

So far I've has adventures with Sam, Ruth, Josefina Ester at the St. Louis World Fair, and Inky and Raven in the Chiricahua Mountains.

My dear friend Phoebe is scheduled to arrive for a visit in May so she can meet Nichelle Nichols at Phoenix Comicon.

If you (or your vinyl friend) have always dreamed of an adventure but don't know how to fulfill that dream - let me know!

Who knows, maybe you (or your vinyl friend) can have the adventure of a lifetime without leaving home!

Just contact me at steampunkaddie@gmail.com.

Bluestocking? No. Blackstocking? Yes!

Inquiring minds have been asking about the status of my library in the sky.

So far I have mini copies of:

• Meet Kaya
• Meet Felicity
• Felicity's Surprise
• Very Funny, Elizabeth
• Meet Caroline
• Meet Josefina
• Josefina's Surprise
• Meet Kirsten
• Kirsten's Surprise
• Meet Marie-Grace
• Meet Cécile
• Meet Addy
• Addy's Surprise
• Meet Samantha
• Samantha's Surprise
• Nellie's Promise
• Meet Rebecca
• Meet Kit
• Really Truly Ruthie
• Meet Molly
• Molly's Surprise
• Brave Emily
• Meet Julie

I also have nice little copies of:

• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• A Christmas Carol
• Horton Hears a Who
• It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
• Mother Goose in Hieroglyphics
• The Night Before Christmas
• Olivia Saves the Circus
• Peter Parley’s Book of Fables
• The Quest of the Missing Map
• Robin Hood
• The Tales of Peter Rabbit
• The Wizard of Oz
• Woodworth's Cabinet Library

Please let me know if you have any mini suggestions - or donations!

Sweet Caroline

Momma is such a history geek.

Right now she's happily channeling her inner Neil Diamond:

Where it began,

I can't begin to knowin'

But then I know it's growing strong

Was in the spring

And spring became the summer

Who'd have believed you'd come along.


Why? Because it has just been confirmed at BookExpo America that the next historical American Girl doll to be released in September 2012 is named Caroline Abbott and based in 1812.



Hmm, just in time for the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812?


So far we don't know what Caroline will look like, but girls in 1812 would wear Regency clothing similar to Josefina's.

Sweet Caroline

Good times never seemed so good

Oops! I did it again

I discovered this morning that I forgot my friend Rebecca Rubin's birthday yesterday.

Oops.

It's a good thing I can time travel. She'll never know I forgot it!

!יום הולדת שמח

Rebecca's family would likely celebrate her birthday with a mixture of Russian, Jewish and American traditions.

In Russia, birthday parties would be celebrated on or after one's birthday, not before. And never give someone birthday wishes before their birthday!

If you're Russian, you may receive a birthday pie with a birthday greeting cut into the crust instead of a cake!

Jewish boys become bar mitzvah on their 13th birthday. Jewish girls become bat mitzvah on their 12th birthday (or sometimes on their 13th birthday in Reform and Conservative Judaism). This marks the transition where they become obligated in commandments of which they were previously exempted and are counted as part of the community.

And finally, a listing of all my friends' birthdays (including mine!) so I don't forget again!

• Kaya ~ Summer, 1755
• Felicity ~ April 21, 1765
• Elizabeth ~ November 5, 1765
• Josefina ~ March 19, 1815
• Marie Grace ~ March 3, 1843
• Cécile ~ May 28, 1843
• Kirsten ~ June 8, 1845
• Addie ~ April 9, 1855
• Addy ~ April 9, 1855
• Samantha ~ May 26, 1895
• Nellie ~ October 15, 1895
• Rebecca ~ April 4, 1905
• Kit ~ May 19, 1923
• Ruthie ~ August 22, 1923
• Molly ~ April 22, 1934
• Emily ~ September 29, 1933
• Julie ~ May 1, 1966
• Ivy ~ February 28, 1966

¡Feliz cumpleaños Josefina!

Happy birthday Josefina!

Instead of celebrating her birthday, Josefina celebrates the feast day of San José, the saint for whom she was named.

San José, or San Jose, is Spanish for St. Joseph.

March 19 has been the principal feast day of St. Joseph in Western Christianity since the 10th century and is celebrated by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and many other denominations.

(Josefina's 15th birthday might be a Quinceañera, which is celebrated differently from any other birthday because it marks the transition from childhood to young womanhood. The celebration in some countries is more religious than in others.)

Merry Christmas!

My little friends and I were having a pleasant chat and it occurred to me to ask them how they would wish you a Merry Christmas in their native languages.

Felicity might say "Happy Christmas!" since that would be proper in England and probably the Colonies. (Molly's friend Emily would, too.)

Josefina would say in Spanish, "¡Feliz Navidad!" 

Kirsten would say in Swedish, "God Jul!" 

Ma chère amie Cécile might say in French, "Joyeux Noël!" 

Rebecca would wish her Christian friends in Russian, "С Рождеством Христовым!"

Kanani says in Hawai'ian, "Mele Kalikimaka!"

And Merry Christmas from all the rest of us! 

How do you say "Merry Christmas!"?

The Posada Adventure

Tonight I'm off to what you now know as New Mexico to help my dear friend Josefina Montoya celebrate Las Posadas.

Las Posadas (Spanish for "lodging" or "accommodation") is a nine-day celebration beginning Dec. 16 and ending Dec. 24 with origins in Spain, now celebrated in Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of the United States.

Last year my Big Sister got asked to be Maria at the very last minute when the original Maria got sick -  just like Josefina did in Josefina’s Surprise!

Josefina is a girl growing up in New Mexico in 1824. Ever since Mamá died, Josefina and her sisters have bravely met the challenges of the rancho without her. As they watch the new Americano traders arrive from the East, they struggle to hold on to the old ways their beloved mother taught them. Josefina dreams of becoming a healer like her Tía Magdalena. Hopeful and caring, she is the star of her story.

A few weeks before Christmas, Josefina and her sisters went into the village to help with holiday preparations. They took two bright ristras, or strings of red chiles, to Señora Sánchez to flavor her famous stew. In return, she gave the girls a special gift—a plump chicken nestled in a bentwood cage. The plucky little hen had already laid two tiny speckled eggs! 

Papá lit the way of the Las Posadas procession with a wooden lantern that had windows made from a mineral called mica. Ana carried a silver tray piled high with bizcochito cookies. You can bake real bizcochitos using the simple recipe included with the pretend cookies. Help Josefina make beautiful paper flowers called ramilletes to decorate the church altar for Christmas Eve—a complete ramillete kit is included.

Josefina saved her very best dress for the most blessed night of the year, la Noche Buena—Christmas Eve. Tía Dolores provided the elegant striped fabric. But Josefina chose the stylish pattern and sewed every stitch herself by hand! With it she wore ruffled pantalettes, white stockings, black slippers, and a fine lace mantilla, a veil held on with a fancy comb.

Faithful friends who are dear to us

It looks like the fun times at the Fair are over. Sam and Ruth are wrapping up their Fair adventures and heading home soon. School starts next week. I imagine it's the same for Josefina Ester. Thanks for the fun time at the fair! 

Next year all our troubles will be miles away.
Once again as in olden days, happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us, will be near to us once more.
Someday soon we all will be together, if the fates allow
Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Meet Me in St. Louis, 1943

Meet me in St. Louie, Louie (oh no)

Sam, Ruth and Josefina Ester join Esther and Rose at the piano.

Giddyup! Today's the Horse Show Parade at the 1904 Fair's Livestock Forum which got me thinking about lyrics you don't normally hear.

"Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis," better known as "Meet Me in St. Louis," is a popular song from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair featured in the movie, Meet Me in St. Louis. 

In the 1904 song "Louis" is pronounced "Louie" and the chorus is the same for the first two verses but varies for the rest of the song to reflect the verses.

Verse 1
When Louis came home to the flat

He hung up his coat and his hat
He gazed all around
But no wifey he found

So he said, "Where can Flossie be at?"

A note on the table he spied

He read it just once, then he cried

It ran, "Louis, dear,"

"It's too slow for me here,"

"So I think I will go for a ride..."
 

Verse 2

The dresses that hung in the hall

Were gone, she had taken them all

She took all his rings

And the rest of his things

The picture he missed from the wall

"What, moving?" the janitor said

"Your rent is paid three months ahead!"

"What good is the flat?"

Said poor Louis, "Read that!"

And the janitor smiled as he read...
 

Chorus

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis,

Meet me at the Fair

Don't tell me the lights are shining

Anyplace but there

We will dance the "Hoochie-Koochie"

I will be your "Tootsie-Wootsie"

If you will meet me in St. Louis, Louis,

Meet me at the Fair.
 

(The rest of the verses are usually left out. Can't you just see Esther secretly singing these with Rose? Or even Mr. and Mrs. Smith when they were alone!)

Oops, you caught me!

Verse 3

Lew Woods was the name of a horse,

that ran at the New Orleans course,

I played him one day

for a dollar each way,

and I charged it to profit and loss;

He started to run in the wet,

the son of a gun's running yet,

That crazy old skate,

he made straight for the gate,

and I hollered, “Hey Lew! don't forget.”
 

Chorus 3

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair,

Take my tip and don't stop running until you are there,

You're a wonder that's no liesky, if you don't fall down and diesky,

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair
 

Verse 4

There came to the gay tenderloin,

a Jay who had money to burn,

The poor simple soul

showed a girlie his roll,

and she said, “for some wine dear, I yearn.”

A bottle and bird right away,

she touched him then said, “I can't stay.”

He sighed, “Tell me, sweet,

where can you and I meet?”

and the orchestra started to play.
 

Chorus 4

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair,

Don't tell me the lights are shining any place but there;

I'll be waiting there my honey, to divorce you from your money,

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair.
 

Verse 5

The clerks in the bank said, “It's queer,

did anyone see the cashier?

It's way after time,

and we haven't a dime,

we can't open the safe 'till he's here.”

The President shook his gray head,

“Send out for an expert,” he said,

The door's opened wide,

not a cent was inside,

just a card, that was all, and it read:
 

Chorus 5

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair,

All the boys and all the girls are going to be there;

If they ask about the cashier, you can say he cuts a dash here,

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair
 

Verse 6

In church sat a man near the door,

asleep, he was starting to snore,

The Minister rose,

and he said, “We will close

singing, Meet on the Beautiful Shore.”

The man in the back then awoke,

he caught the last words that he spoke;

He said, “Parson White,

you can meet me alright,

but The Beautiful Shore is a joke.”
 

Chorus 6

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair,

Don't tell me the lights are shining any place but there;

I'll be waiting at the station, for the whole darned congregation,

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair

The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
Daily Calendar

Friday, Sept. 2, 1904

• Fraternal Aid Association
• Horse show parade at livestock forum

Hail Italia

Sam, Ruth, Josefina Ester and I check out the Italian Pavilion.

I was fascinated when Josefina Ester told us she and her family were participating in the Italian Pavilion at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, so I headed to the library.

During the Fair, visitors walked up the wide stairs through the Ionic columns into a pavilion designed to resemble a Roman emperor's villa. Concerts featuring Italian music entertained Italian visitors and special guests in the pavilion and its lovely surrounding gardens. Visitors walked through the pavilion's reception room to view reproductions of statues from the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii along with modern works of art.

I found this in a book published in 1913:

Italian Pavilion and Italian Day:

The Italian pavilion was opened June 6, 1904 with an official reception. The guests began to arrive at 4 p.m., and for the next two hours the building was thronged with guests representing the Italian and other foreign governments, the exposition management, the National Commission, Board of Lady Managers, United States government board, Philippine commission, the many state commissions, the various departments of the Exposition and St. Louis society.

A canopy covered the walk from the Ionic columns fronting the pavilion to the main entrance, where the guests were announced by a member of the Italian commission.

At the opening of the reception, which lasted from 4 to 6 o'clock, the Italian colors were unfurled from two gilded flagstaffs in front of the building. The Colorado Italian orchestra played inside the pavilion and Professor Conterno's Italian band outside in the garden. As the official representatives of the different foreign governments arrived they were greeted with the national airs of their respective countries. Italian music was a favorite with the visitors, and next in popularity came Hail Columbia, the Star Spangled Banner and other American airs.

Among the many distinguished visitors was Count Henry Prevost de Brebiere. The ladies were presented, each, with a bouquet of flowers and a box of Italian bonbons tied with red, green and white ribbon, the colors of Italy.

Oct. 12, 1904, the 412th anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, was Italian Day at the World's Fair. The Italian pavilion was decorated outside with the national colors of Italy and the United States, and on the walls inside hung banners picturing the history of the Roman Empire from the earliest days to the discovery of America.

One of the main features of the celebration was a parade through the exposition grounds to the Italian pavilion and back to St. Louis Plaza where Baron des Planches, Italian ambassador at Washington, presented a very handsome Italian flag which had been carried in the procession by a guard of honor composed of 12 Italian marines, to Mayor Wells for the city of St. Louis. The Mayor gracefully accepted the flag in the name of the city and extended a cordial greeting to Ambassador and Mrs. des Planches and all of the visiting Italians. Signor M. Salvini, the Italian sculptor who had been selected to act as "President of the Day," delivered an address in which he expressed the hope that the time would come when the 12th of October would be celebrated regularly in the United States as a public holiday. After addresses by the President of the Exposition and Commissioner-General Giovanni Branchi, the latter read the following cablegram from Rome, which had just been received by Signor Angelo Pavia, president of the royal commission, from Signor Rava, the Italian minister of commerce.

Present to the great friendly nation, whose name reminds us of the greatest achievement of our country, the best wishes of the Italian government today when Italy celebrates its participation in the great International Exposition at St. Louis.

A banquet in the afternoon at the International Cafe on the Pike was attended by 1,000 guests, most of them Italians, Signor Pavia acting as toastmaster. An illustrated lecture by Professor Brunialti, of Rome, on "Italian Monuments," filled Festival Hall between 6 and 7 p. m. In the evening the celebration of Italian Day was fittingly closed with a water carnival on the lagoons, the distinguished guests being taken through the waterways in Venetian gondolas and launches to the strains of Italian music.

The Universal Exposition of 1904, Volume 1

David Rowland Francis

Saint Louis

Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company
1913

The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
Daily Calendar 

Thursday, Sept. 1, 1904

• Tennessee Day (Hermitage - President Jackson)
• Indiana Day
• Horse show awards 

The house next door

The girls asked Me today if I would take them to see 5135 Kensington Avenue.

I was happy to oblige and they filled Me in on the story as we headed over.

Sam, Ruth, and Josefina Ester try to get me to hide!

The well-off Smith family lives there with four daughters and a son.

The family was shocked when Mr. Smith revealed that he had been transferred to New York, which meant that the family had to leave St. Louis before the St. Louis World's Fair!

Mr. Smith later announced that the family would not leave St. Louis when he realized how much the move would affect his family. And the whole family has been able to attend the World's Fair.

The story ends at night with everyone overlooking the lake at the center of the World's Fair just as the lights come up on the entire fair.

Sounds like a pretty good story to Me. Maybe someone could make it a moving picture someday and call it, Meet Me in St. Louis.

The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
Daily Calendar 

Wednesday, Aug. 31, 1904

• Mining Gulch Day, 10,000 free watermelons given out
• Bulgaria's V.I. Exhibits opened
• Two simultaneous marriages took place on Observation Wheel
• Eagle Day

O Captain! my Captain!

Sam expressed interest is seeing my "newfangled" airship, The Enterprise, so I arranged for a private tour.

Not that it's hard when you're the Captain.

She was surprised that the blueprints were in German but I reminded her that I met Ferdinand von Zeppelin in 1863 when he acted as an observer for the Union Army Balloon Corps during the American Civil War.

I like to think I helped spur his interest in dirigibles and flight, so when I asked for my own little zeppelin he was happy to oblige. 

Sam, Ruth, and Josefina Ester seem impressed with my floating bookmobile. Sam wants to know if I can fly them (including Uncle Gard) back home to New York once they're ready to leave the World's Fair.

I don't know if she'll be so eager once she finds out how cold it can get up there....

We're fairly stuffed

Sam, Josefina Ester, Ruth and I check out my favorite exhibition.

Sam, Ruth, Josefina Ester, and I are having a grand time at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair! 

Samantha and Ruth are both from New York. Sam is curious about everything and Uncle Gard is accompanying the girls along with a maid as a chaperone. Ruth is a Society girl who wants to be where all the fashionable people are. New York City is great but St. Louis is where it's at right now.

(Samantha wanted to know if I arrived in one of those newfangled airships that are on display. Of course! Now, if I can just figure out how to get her on board the Enterprise....)

Josefina Ester is a first generation American who lives in St. Louis so she can show us where everything is! Her parents immigrated to St. Louis from Palermo, Sicily. She is named after her grandfather (Joseph) and her grandmother (Ester). Her father is a shoemaker and has his own shop in St. Louis. Her mother stays at home. Josefina Ester is an only child.

Her family and some other Sicilian immigrants are part of the Italian Pavillion at the Fair. She is very interested in many of the science exhibits.

Waffle ice cream cones

We've been busy taking in the sights ... and eating lots of yummy goodies!

Thankfully for us, doll food is calorie free!

As I mentioned yesterday, a number of foods claimed to have been invented at the Fair including the waffle-style ice cream cone, the hamburger, hot dog, and peanut butter. (It is more likely, however, that these food items were first introduced to mass audiences and popularized by the fair.) 

Cheeseburger with french fries

If you (or your doll) are now drooling over these luscious foods, drool no more! I can't recommend Pippaloo's doll food enough. She's the artiste who sculpted these luscious creations.

Don't they look good enough to eat?

Pippaloo creates realistic polymer clay food for your American Girl or other 18-inch doll. All items in her shop are ready to ship. She strives to make unique and high quality products that will delight dolls and their owners alike.

Hot dog with mustard

According to Pippaloo, "My polymer clay obsession started out quite innocently when my two young girls asked me to make some cookies for our American Girl dolls. Dismayed by the lack of realism and incorrect scale of so many of the foods that AG makes, I soon found myself on a mission. That was about four years ago. As you can no doubt imagine, we now have some very well fed dolls."

Are your dolls craving something specific? She is always happy to do custom orders. Custom orders can take from one to three weeks to complete, depending on the request.

Peanut butter and jelly

Food items are crafted from polymer clay and are in perfect 1:3 scale for American Girl dolls.

Because of the realistic nature and scale of the food, these items are not intended for children under the age of 6. Her food is not for human consumption - it is only tasty to dolls!

All items are crafted by Pippaloo in her smoke-free home studio.

Since all her clay food is handmade, no two will be exactly alike - but each piece you receive will look as realistic and scrumptious as the ones pictured. 

Now, what should I try next....

On the Net: http://www.etsy.com/shop/pippaloo

The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
Daily Calendar

Tuesday, Aug. 30, 1904

• Improved Order of Heptasophs
• Olympic Marathon Race, temperature over 90 degrees. Fred Lorz crosses finish line, but had ridden a car for 11 miles. Thomas Hicks won the race, but required assistance after taking strychnine and raw eggs.