Bust of Vigée Le Brun

LM sent me a photo of a thirty inch tall terra cotta bust of a gorgeous young French female of the late 18th century. Her beauty is classic even today: …

Wrestling with a Creative Block

  For some time I’ve wanted to write about the devastating creative artist’s BLOCK, sometimes referred to as writer’s block. What do you do when you, a creative person, feel …

The Zen of Publishing

HG scored this book at a flea market. Daisetz Suzuki’s Zen and Japanese Culture – a classic printed in hundreds of languages. Bollingen Foundation, known for publishing books of significant impact …

Shreve & Co. Candlesticks: Scrap or Not?

PJ said he wants to sell pair of candlesticks that don’t match his wife’s taste. He inherited them from someone he had little connection to. Their significant heft made him …

The Art of Michael Arntz

An artist in Montecito received a gift of a unique ceramic charger plate found at a thrift store in Goleta. It’s signed ‘M Arntz.’ She wrote about the blue glaze …

The Power of Green Stamps

I discovered pasted-down Green Stamps in Grace’s bottom drawer when she passed away at 101. Seeing them transported me back to our kitchen table in Deerfield, Illinois. Young Elizabeth watched …

Vintage Mallory Hat

FM of Montecito sent me a photo of his grandfather’s vintage Mallory hat. He wonders what became of the venerable custom and manufacture of American fedoras. The story is a …

Tear Catcher: A Sentimental Gift

SR sent me this pink and blue gold gilded porcelain bottle with an ornate gold stopper and interesting “scoop” or funnel to the top in metal. She called it a …