made in America

AMERICAN MUSIC is probably one of this country's most enduring exports. I'm not checking facts here, but I know for sure that New Orleans jazz, rock and roll, gospel, bluegrass and many other types of music originated in this country. The American South, in particular can lay claim to the birth of many of these forms which continues adding to the list with rap and hip hop music, much of which originated right here in Atlanta, Georgia. You have to wonder what brought forth the circumstances to create such a rich musical heritage. Is it the freedom to express ourselves? A unique "melting pot" of people in one place? A big new interest in folk music seems to be taking hold with bands from all over the world importing it back to the U.S. (like the Swedish folk singer duo, who are sisters, named First Aid Kit who I'm going to see in concert soon).

GOOGLE DOODLE | Today's banner logo art for Google's home page uses some nostalgic yankee doodle dandy typography forming the word "Google." The lyric "this Land was made for you and me" is from Woody Guthrie's folk song titled "This Land is Your Land," which has become one of America's favorite (and inclusive) patriotic songs since it was first recorded in 1944.

I HAVE TO think it is the independent spirit that first formed this country back in 1776 with the origin of the 13 colonies that gave birth to such an exuberant musical heritage. I pay homage to that spirit with this tree hung with 13 striped lanterns.

FIREWORKS and picnics are also represented with this tree. The hot July 4th holiday is a great time for grilling outdoors, making homemade ice cream and watching fireworks explode across the sky. That's exactly what I'm about to do with a group of friends, but I'll leave you with my mother's homemade ice cream recipe which I recently started making again. Today, Devin and I are serving it with fresh blueberries, fresh "strawberry" cherries and lemon cookies after grilling some of Devin's turkey burgers. Happy 4th!

MAMMA MOLAND'S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM 

2 12 oz. cans of evaporated milk (such as Pet Evaporated Milk)

2 cans sweetened condensed milk (such as Eagle Brand)
1 cup sugar
6 eggs beaten (since they're used raw, it's best to buy the pasteurized kind for safety)
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract (or more if you like, but make sure it's the best you can buy—DO NOT buy imitation vanilla flavoring)
1 quart whole milk (or enough to fill the freezer's canister to the fill line)
4 quart hand-cranked or electric ice cream freezer
1 large or 2 small bags of ice
1 box of ice cream rock salt 

In a large mixing bowl combine evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, sugar eggs and vanilla with a wire whisk one at a time. Pour into the ice cream freezer's inner canister (4 quart-size). Pour in enough whole milk to fill to the level of the freezer canister's fill line and stir with a long spoon to combine with the sweet mixture.

Place top on securely and freeze submerged in the freezer's bucket according to manufacturer's instructions packed with layers of ice and ice cream rock salt. Cover with a towel. Hand crank or freeze until your arm gives out or the motor stops.

The ice cream (very milky instead of too creamy) will be a soft consistency. Let canister cure in the ice mixture covered with a towel for at least 30 minutes). Scoop and serve with whatever toppings you might want. It melts fast in the July heat, but you'll want to eat it fast because it is so good! 

PATRIOT GAME | Count the lanterns on this tree in the photos above and you'll see that there are thirteen, representing the independent spirit of America's original 13 colonies. The lanterns were originally bought from Bayberry Cove and were designed for the Bruce Elsass Collection for Bethany Lowe Designs, Inc. The lanterns are just large enough to hold a flickering LED votive inside (no live flames with these) to carry the tree's festive look into the night.The red, white and blue mylar sparklers attached to the ends of some of the branches of this wire tree represent the holiday's fireworks—purchased last year at Target (I snapped off the wooden sticks they were attached to). Below the tree is a plaid tin picnic basket found this year at Cost Plus World Market along with a starry napkin purchased at Pottery Barn. The wire tree was originally purchased from the now defunct Martha by Mail catalog as an Easter tree, but I thought its spiky look would be evocative of the sparks produced by fireworks.

©2012 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

evergreens & topiaries

READYING SMALL EVERGREENS and topiary in summer for use in autumn and winter, will bring summer’s green inside for the end-of-year season. Evergreens inside the home have long been a living element in end-of-year decorations—symbolizing spring’s new life.

THE ROMANS are most often credited for the origin of topiary. The first written descriptions of the topiary came from Roman writers Pliny the Elder and his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who made references to topiary in their writings. Topiary flourished by the end of the first century among wealthy Romans. 

EGYPTIANS AND JEWS may have actually introduced the art of topiary to the Romans. There are paintings that survive that depict Egyptian gardens with topiary forms, and Jews were among the slaves in charge of maintaining the gardens of Rome. During the Dark Ages, after the Roman Empire had ended, cloistered-away monks kept the art of topiary alive—a perfect pastime for monastery life. During the Renaissance—synonymous with a grand revival of the arts—topiary came back in favor. 

IVY TOPIARY  | (above) Ivy has long been a symbol of love and fidelity and grows into a beautiful holiday topiary when trained on a conical wire form.

THE FRENCH are credited for topiary reaching its epoch in the late 17th century. Andre Le Notre’s landscaping for King Louis XIV at Versailles as the chief royal gardener, made the topiary popular once again.

THE TOPIARY is one of the most ancient of garden crafts. Pagan tradition holds the belief that winter evergreens are a promise for another spring—symbolizing life’s continuity. Evergreen decorations became ritualized at temples and even inside the home in winter celebrations, representing the promise of new life. 

TOP TOPIARY | (all photos above, left to right) An ivy topiary gets its start on a small wire form. Other good evergreen choices in this photo (from left to right) Red Star White Cedar, which maintains its juvenile foliage through adulthood; Lemon Cypress, trimmed with a long stem; and a Hardy Rosemary plant trimmed into a conical form. The terra cotta pots topped with a sage green glaze are by Guy Wolff Pottery.

RIGHT AT HOME | (above) Dwarfed by the topiary pots, diminutive cardboard ornaments form a small community. Bringing live evergreens inside the home has a symbolically rich history. 

©2012 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

footsteps into the future

EARTH DAY was first celebrated on April 22, 1970. Twenty-million people came together on that date to protest environmental destruction and raise awareness for a healthier, more sustainable planet. Since then, Earth Day has grown into an annual global event with one billion people around the world joining together to draw attention to environmental issues. Paraphrasing the Earth Day site linked above: "On this 42nd Anniversary of Earth Day in a fiscal environment of global recession our planet (our home) is being neglected. Climate change continues unabated in the continued failure of governments to take any steps towards protecting and preserving the environment. There's a new ecological disaster happening almost daily. This Earth Day it's time to mobilize the planet from the ground up to send a message that the Earth won't wait! The Earth Day 2012 campaign is designed to provide people with the opportunity to unite their voices in a call for a sustainable future and direct them towards quantifiable outcomes."

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BUTTERFLIES AND BOOTIES | (photos above) Crepe paper butterflies were made from an old Martha by Mail craft kit using crepe paper, clothespins, wire, Czech glass beads and German Glass Glitter. The small pink mercury glass baby bootie ornaments are from Crate & Barrel and tied with metallic ribbon from Martha Stewart Crafts.

WHEN I THINK about future generations and what they have to inherit from thousands of years of mankind wrecking our environment and using up the Earth's resources—I have to be honest—at first I am a bit pessimistic with what lies in their future. But then you see the hope in the face of a child and it reminds you that everything that new and unformed is an agent of change. Future generations need to be taught to develop a much lighter step and more compassion than ever before for our natural surroundings. It is now at the point of our very survival and best interest to do so and it is an issue of economics. We can no longer ignore the warnings from mistakes made in living the way we have in the past in the name of big business. We must also look to past voices to remind us of a more sustainable mode of living. This quote from a mostly forgotten indian chief was sent to me from Lisa Cummings Edwards (a blog follower and owner of a copy of my book, The Decorated Tree):

"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect."

—Chief Seattle, 1855

LITTLE GRASSHOPPER | (above) The tree branch is placed in a "quilted" ceramic container from a local gardening store, while a wire and mercury glass grasshopper from West Elm stands watch. Grasshoppers can only leap forward, not sideways or backwards. Symbolically, they have the ability to leap through time and into space where the true mysteries of life exist. The flowers behind the grasshopper are from one of the tallest deciduous trees in North America. The tulip tree (tulip popular) is related to the prehistoric magnolia and only produces flowers after it is about ten years old. The tulip tree flowers and bud are interspersed with white buds from a springtime nandina bush, which will eventually become red berries in the winter.

THIS TREE was a collaboration with a very special person in my life, Devin Borden. We made it to decorate his coworker's new nursery. Amanda Hickham and her husband Jeff are expecting a little baby girl soon, whom they have already named Jane Harris. In thinking about what the future holds for their little girl, Amanda says "It seems that over time, people have become more aware of the environment in general and increasingly more respectful of our planet. I can only hope that our baby girl will feel even more of a sense of responsibility once she is grown. It is important to me to be a part of sustaining and bettering an environment that will be safe for her not only as a baby, but for generations to come."

FACE THE FUTURE | (above, clockwise from top left) There are quite a few young ones in my life right now, some of which are shown here: My coworker Gianna Adams recently gave birth to Zander, shown with his mother in this beautifully poetic photo of mother and child; reaching for my face, Sian, former coworker Justine Chung's daughter is a complete delight; Atlas Bunda, the son of Kandace and Rob Walker-Bunda is understandably the happiest boy I know since both of his parents are extremely creative "Renaissance" parents; another photo of Sian with Devin Borden and I (who collaborated on the tree in this post); Mira is the beautiful daughter of my coworker Akiko Wilson; and another photo of Sian as a newborn.

INDEED, WE ARE ALL CONNECTED as humankind, but we sometimes forget that we are not removed from the natural world. We are products of every breath we take, every resource we consume and everything we eat. We are viscerally connected to every living thing in nature. 

THERE SEEMS to be a lot of children in my life right now. In looking for the face of the future, you only have to look into the face of a child as a source of hope. My friend Justine sent me a beautiful quote which she says pretty much sums up her new life in New York City. It really applies to all of us: "A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for." Our mothers know best — especially Mother Nature.

AS A SIDE NOTE, Caine, a 9 year old boy — who built an elaborate cardboard arcade inside his dad's used auto part store — shows that do-it-yourself creativity and persistence can pay off. Caine's Arcade became a success after getting the attention of indie filmaker Nirvan Mullick (Caine's first and only customer until then). Mullick made a short film about Caine (see YouTube video below). The short film went viral through the filmmaker's efforts. It is the most heartwarming story I have seen in recent years and will give you hope for the future like nothing else. Please visit this website and donate a dollar or two (the price of a fun pass) to his college fund as I have. 100% of my donation of $2.00, minus the PayPal transaction fee (0.36), will be put toward creating a Scholarship Fund that will be held for Caine to further his education. The filmmaker will be working with Caine's dad George to make sure a Trust gets set up properly. Also, due to the overwhelming support, and the spark of inspiration that Caine's Arcade has ignited, Caine's Arcade Foundation is being built to help more kids! The Foundation will help discover, foster, and fund creativity and entrepreneurship in young kids like Caine. The Goldhirsh Foundation is generously matching your donations to Caine's Scholarship Fund dollar-for-dollar (up to $250,000) to help them get the Foundation off the ground.

IN THE FUTURE, entrepreneurship will truly "get off the ground" if tempered with a good solid education about the environment and its protection, which will ultimately turn into action for saving our Earth. Happy and Hopeful Earth Day!

©2012 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

crafting by Devin Borden and Darryl Moland,
photography/styling by Darryl Moland

the bunny and the egg

A COUPLE OF EASTER Sundays in my childhood, my parents surprised me with an actual real-life Peter Cottontail instead of a chocolate bunny. We kept the bunny in a specially-constructed pen in our back yard. Even though I quickly figured out my bunny was never going to lay an egg, I always hoped it would happen. Magical things are happening all around in spring, so why not a bit of magical thinking? Much to my disappointment, the only thing that ever popped out of the bunnies were those little brown pellets that looked like cat kibble—not quite a wish come true. 

EVEN IF my fluffy bunny was never going to lay eggs, Easter was always a highly anticipated welcome to springtime. I love watching the grass get green again with the daffodils appearing in the un-mown freshness. With everything coming to life after a winter slumber, the pollen from the flowers and trees tint the air like a childhood Technicolor® dream.

BUNNIES AND EGGS | (Both photos above) These roundly-formed glazed porcelain bunny ornaments from Pier 1 Imports were re-tied with a pale-striped yellow ribbon to match the yellow and white of the dogwood flower. Brown eggs were simply wrapped with Flake Cotton yarn (made in Brazil) from Ironstone and placed in an egg-shaped deviled egg platter.

THE DOGWOOD flower became another symbol for spring, as explained in Sunday school at the local Baptist church where we attended—as a manifestation of the crucifixion of Jesus. I studied those flowers with their stigmata petals scared at each end and forming a cross radiating from a golden “crown of thorns” in the middle and it seemed like a plausible explanation that the cross Jesus was crucified on was made of a Dogwood tree and this is how they appeared thereafter. But there was never an explanation for why my bunny wasn't laying eggs! The reasons for both might be from man-made sources that are less than reliable than an explanation taken directly from Mother Nature's lessons. In myth and religion, things have been cross-pollinated so much that the result is a hybrid of ideas that have something for everyone to latch onto. The short answer is bunnies and eggs are closely associated because they are both symbols of fertility, new life and rebirth/renewal.

EGGS AND FLOWERS | Nestled amongst sunny daffodil flowers and leaves, these lettered eggs from Pottery Barn spell out a Happy Easter greeting.

NATURAL LIFE CYCLES in the spring are the focus of any spring celebration. What has become today's Easter Bunny is actually a surviving remnant of Pagan traditions celebrated in pre-Christian days, and still practiced today by surviving Pagans and Christians alike, but with different source meanings. In the Pagan view, Bunnies, rabbits and hares are fertility symbols, sacred to the Goddess of the Dawn, once known as Ostarra or Eostara, which is the origin of the word Easter. Due to the the well-known procreational ability of rabbits, they are a perfect symbol for fertility. Another more direct symbol for fertility is the egg for obvious reasons. Spring Equinox celebrations—both past and present—focus on Spring growth. All the newly reborn flora and fauna, including the ever-producing rabbit, are a sure sign the Spring season has begun and nature continues its yearly cycle.

WHEN CHRISTIANITY first began to spread, there was an artful overlapping of Christian values and ideas with much loved Pagan customs, which attracted people to the church and pulled them away from their ways of honoring and living within nature. The Easter Bunny and egg hunts of the Old World were carried over to modern day celebrations. In the beginning, they had nothing to do with the Christian faith or belief in Jesus' resurrection. Because the Christian church celebrates the Resurrection of Christ in the spring, it made perfect sense to "borrow" from Pagan Spring rites in order to make the attraction to the newer religion plausible.

EGGS AND A CHICK | This tough chick with a cracked shell around its feet is laying claim to her future eggs. German paper mache candy containers borrow the perfect shape of an egg as an elegant container in which to give Easter treats. These modern versions are made by the German company Nestler.

THE POPULARIZED candy form of the Easter Bunny probably emerged around the 1800’s when manufacturers in Germany created bunnies from bread and candy. German children were taught about Osterhase, an Easter bunny that hid eggs and chocolates carried in a woven basket backpack for children to find on Easter Sunday. Easter eggs became a commonplace way to exchange gifts in Springtime. Easter treats were concealed in paper mache candy containers. Those made in an original mold, by some of the same German family workshops that began their businesses more than 100 years ago have become highly collectible. Modern versions such as the ones in the photo above are an elegant way to present Easter gifts and treats.

NO NONSENSE EGGS | Unadorned, but decorative natural wooden eggs are nestled within a blooming Japanese magnolia branch and a ceramic egg crate.

THE TRADITION of the egg tree (see The Decorated Tree version here) was also popularized in Germany. The eggs used in cooking Easter meals in Germany (and elsewhere) are not broken, but are emptied by blowing the contents out into a container, through pinholes at either end of the egg. The hollowed eggshells are then decorated and dyed and hung from trees during spring.

NO MATTER how or why you celebrate springtime, there is no doubt that this is a season of rebirth. Flowering trees and flowers rise from dormancy and show their prettiest spring colors, much like church-goers do in their Easter Sunday best. Nature and faith are in a constant cycle of renewal and both are reaffirmed simultaneously in a sweet melding of ideas and beliefs. It's definitely a time to take a deep breath of life.

©2012 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

hearts on fire

WHEN YOU'RE in love, Valentine's Day is a sacred event. Saints, sinners and symbolism unite under the umbrella of unconditional love. If you're thinking rationally, love is bound by the heartstrings that give life ritual meaning at least, and a fullness of purpose at most. You could metaphorically call it the difference between a kiss and a rose—a kiss being just a kiss and a rose being imbued with a full cycle of meaning and symbolism.

SAINT VALENTINE, who the holiday is named after, is recognized by the Catholic Church, but through three different entities. One legend has it that Valentine was a priest in third-century Rome who performed secret weddings even after the emperor had outlawed marriage for young men, reasoning that single men made better soldiers (an interesting piece of history in light of  today's "don't ask, don't tell" political climate).

ANOTHER LEGEND has it that St. Valentine was martyred for helping Christians escape Roman prisons. The most common legend holds that St. Valentine is in the reverse role (in prison), where he falls in love with his jailor's daughter, writing her a letter on the eve of his execution which signed with the now famous phrase "From Your Valentine."

SOME SUGGEST the holiday can be traced back to Chaucer in the 14th century (old English) writing about the season that birds choose their mates. These lines were part of a poem written by Chaucer to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia:  

For this was on seynt Volantynys day

When every byrd cometh there to chese his make.

THIS SANTOS cage doll (above) is dressed for the occasion of unconditional love and holds a small sacred heart Ex-Voto locket. An altar to any saint of your choosing, the empty conical shape of her skirt (or cage), becomes personally meaningful with the addition of your own artifacts and anything else deemed symbolic. An anthropological treasure trove abounds within the world of saints. I've chosen antique heart ornaments and sacred heart Ex-Voto locket ornaments to celebrate Saint Valentine's Day, along with berried cedar branches and a trailing rose branch which last summer, circled in on itself in the top of a planter forming a crown of thorns in my container garden. Could that naturally-formed crown of thorns be a firm reminder that love is as much about the warm fuzzy feelings you get inside as it is the prickly affair of forgiveness?

I DON'T MEAN forgiveness in the conditional/traditional sense. If you were to choose the jailed Roman martyr, St. Valentine mentioned above, his story goes that he was personally interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II. Claudius tried to get St. Valentine to convert to Roman paganism in 0rder to save his life. But Valentine conversely tried to convert the Emperor to Christianity to which Claudius threw him in a Roman prison to wait his fate. Valentine's jailor had a blind daughter to which he wrote the famed "From Your Valentine" letter. Legend has it that her sight was restored through St. Valentine's loving intercessionary prayer.

LOST IN THE STORY, St. Valentine chose a far more loving and compelling path of compassion and unconditional forgiveness for his jailor's daughter. This stands in stark contrast to the premise that forgiveness is conditional as it is in the Catholic practice of confession. Other protestant traditions carry the same precept without the benefit of an intermediary priest. In most protestant religious traditions, the granting of forgiveness is conditional on the offender's remorse and pleas for pardon.

ST. VALENTINE'S  lesson is clear when you are presented with this: Divine love and forgiveness are unconditional. That's the lesson exemplified in all the lives of the saints. This Valentine's day, I invite you to take your own spiritual journey to that place within your own hearts. It is rarely achieved by mere mortals, but going down this liberating road to unconditional love and forgiveness is something to celebrate. Even so, all most of us can muster in achieving this most noble goal is to begin the journey in the right direction.

SACRED HEARTS | (Top) This collection of metal sacred heart ornaments are from several sources. The three flat embossed metal ornaments are from the 2011 winter season's Wisteria catalog. The rhinestone-studded sacred heart ornament at the bottom left of the photo is from Pottery Barn. The large copper-finished Flaming Heart Ex-Voto Cachette ornament is from Eleanor Brown Boutique. The small golden Ex-Voto ornaments are from SantosCageDoll.com. 

SACRED CAGE | (Above photos) This reproduction Santos Cage Doll was found at Tuesday Morning. It sits atop a crepe paper rose wreath. Ex-Voto ornaments are listed above and from Eleanor Brown Boutique and SantosCageDoll.com. Her crown was purchased through eBay. Two unusually-colored antique mercury glass hobnail heart ornaments are from my personal collection.

NEO GOTHIC | (Above) "Arcadian Gothic" artist Mark Ryden's paintings are layered with references ranging from Renaissance landscape and Neoclassical portraiture to pop-culture kitsch. For tree lovers like me, Ryden's "The Tree Show" series of art (of which the above example is not a part of) is reproduced alongside his meticulous research on the tree as myth. This book is available on Amazon.com here and a Special Edition Exhibition Book is available at Porterhouse Fine Art Editions, Inc. See the links to the book in the left-hand column of this blog also. His paintings are fascinating modern cultural mash up which are painted with classical methods.

©2012 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

two thousand and twelve

It's easy to forget the nuances of years past. The classic New Year's song Auld Lang Syne begins with a rhetorical question as to whether it is right that old times be forgotten. This unique New Year's tree from last year's blog post is a toast to remembering. Take a new look at the old with the spreads for the New Year's story designed for The Decorated Tree book, which can be ordered here. This book will take you on a cathartic journey through the whole year of holidays from Valentine's Day to the next New Year.

AS WE GET OLDER, the years seem to fly by. Friends come and go, but for old times sake, the important events in life are not forgotten. The classic New Year’s song Auld Lang Syne begins with a rhetorical question as to whether it is right that old times be forgotten. It’s up to us to answer the question in the way that works best for us. If it has been a good year, then of course we’ll remember, but if it has been a bad year, we tend to try to forget. Memory serves well to selectively process and store the good times we all cherish.

THERE are MANY exciting things about a new year. It is a time to mix a refreshing drink and reflect on old and new goals alike. Looking back, as one is wont to do at the beginning of the new year, there’s always the practice to resolve to not repeat the mistakes of the past. As for the future, since none of us really knows what is in store, superstitious beliefs abound. Having been raised in the American South, eating collard greens for prosperity and black-eyed peas or Hoppin’ John for luck has always been a part of my New Year’s ritual. Our vision is not always perfectly clear in looking back. We have to “be in the now” to latch onto that elusive moment of clarity. That is a resolution for anyone—to be aware of and in the moment as much as possible when conducting our daily lives.

THIS NEW YEAR’S tree is an elegant and glitzy way of remembering long-standing relationships, welcoming new friends and raising a happy and prosperous toast to whatever lies ahead.

BRING in the NEW | (1st "New Year Glitz" spread from The Decorated Tree book) Bringing in the new doesn’t always mean throwing out the old, but it certainly is necessary to make room for new aspirations.This large mercury glass tree is encircled with a collection of glass beaded snowflakes attached to a garland made of wire and glass beads. Two miniature metal cups and a champagne bottle hang from the antlers of a recycled aluminum deer. The champagne-filled glassesin the foreground are garnished with rosemary sprigs that have been given a sparkle with a coating of egg white and coarse sanding sugar.

TOP SHINE | (2nd "New Year Glitz" spread from The Decorated Tree book) I’ve retrofitted this tree topper with a new typeset and glittered disk of calligraphy. It is surrounded by beautiful glittered metal rays with tinsel woven through them. Glass-beaded snowflake ornaments are attached to a beaded garland encircling a sturdy mercury glass pleated tree. This beautiful reindeer symbolically stands guard and brings in a cup (or two) of good cheer on its antlers. The champagne flutes are garnished with sprigs of sugared rosemary as a symbol of remembering the good times.

©2011 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography, styling and design by Darryl Moland

 

what's old is new . . . again

NOW THAT I'M finished with the first iteration of the book The Decorated Tree, what's next? Do I look to the future or to the past for inspiration? A lot of work has been done to create the book that a real bonafide publisher will want to buy into, but there is a lot of footwork involved in finding said publisher. But I'm happy I now have a self-published book in hand to show and tell about. Having been a designer my whole adult life, I've learned very well that even though I might be fairly articulate at telling someone what I see in my head, it's necessary for most people to literally see your design in a visual sense. You have to spell it out in the language of design, which involves type, photography, illustration and the magical elements involved in putting all of that together in a way that makes sense. Beyond just making literal sense, it also has to turn heads, as if saying "look at me!"

I'VE OFTEN SAID I feel like the blogger Julie Powell (played by Amy Adams) in the movie Julie & Julia, where Julie states "I could write a book, I have ideas." or "I am risking my well being for a deranged assignment." The original blog ran on Salon.com. I'm laughing out loud as I'm finding out her new blog is named "What Could Happen?" with the subtitle "musings from a "soiled and narcissistic whore." However, like Julie during the time of the Julia/Julia Project blog, I am currently working a day job as a graphic design contractor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, which puts me in a position not unlike Julie in the movie. I work at a government job by day and blog by night and weekends, while working my way through my ornament collection, notes and photography I've compiled (instead of cooking my way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking). The Decorated Tree book is a result of all of this.

WHAT COULD HAPPEN? Indeed! I have to say, that coming up with another tree to show so soon after finishing my book has surprised me. We are right smack in the middle of the holiday season though. I still know that even though I've created a book that I can be very proud of, this is only the beginning to finding the way to the future I envision. I need to spell it out in the visual language I'm so used to, but I also need to articulate it verbally and through the contacts I make. "What's old is new" is my mantra now, as I carry on and bring what I've created to the next level. Stay with me (and buy my book!). This should be a wild ride.

OLD & NEW | (above three photos) I found this cute wire tree at Homegoods early in the season ("handcrafted in the Philippines" is all I know about it). It had cheap gold plastic beads on the ends of each stem, but did have the really cool cardboard birdhouse ornaments glued to its branches with bright red silk thread. I took it apart and reconfigured it by adding vintage Shiny Brite® ornaments to the ends of the branches and a vintage finial tree topper. I also added the jewel-toned shatterproof ornaments (with proper metal caps) from the Jaclyn Smith Today Golden Heritage collection from Kmart. (I usually shy away from plastic ornaments because they also have cheap plastic caps. These were dressed up with beautiful metal caps). The gold krinkled wire balls were sold at Michaels as vase filler. The beautiful rusted metal door in the background is from the private collection of my friends Charlene Fisk and Maggie McBride.

OLD IS NEW | I'm always drawn to the old Shiny Brite® ornaments from my childhood, but I've been collecting the new versions now marketed by Christopher Radko. The large box are the new interpretations and the tiny box next to it is the box of old ornaments I bought that cap the branch ends on the tree above (if you look closely in the upper corner of the box, it says "a Shiny Brite® product"). I'm seeing a bawdy bright tree full of new Shiny Brite® ornaments in my future! Who knows, I might even use some colored lights (but I doubt it).

GREETINGS | I had to share my illustrator friend's gorgeous holiday card I received in the mail a few days ago. I gasped when I opened the envelope. Stanislawa Kodman is the talented artist behind it. I send my heartfelt well wishes to her and her family, as her mother just died. Stanis also designs illustrated jewelry and can be found here at her website. She can be hired professionally through her agent Alexander Pollard.

©2011 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography, styling and design by Darryl Moland,
card illustration by Stanislawa Kodman.