Hats

HATS

"Rosie"

Have you heard? Hats are making a comeback. I’m really glad because I just love to see a man in a fedora or a beret. I think of writer Ernest Hemmingway or all the great movie stars of the 40’s like Clark Gable and Gregory Peck. It’s not just men’s hats that are staging a comeback but women’s hats as well. Just think of all the advantages of wearing one. You can look distinguished, homespun, extravagant, reverent, nautical, whimsical to say nothing about younger since the shade from the hats will usually disguise a few eye wrinkles.

If those points of inspiration don’t cause you to run out and buy or make one, think about this. Whenever I used to sport a hat while having lunch with a friend, who also had a hat on, we would find a drink mysteriously appearing at our table. One time, it was even a bottle of champagne! In that case, the champagne was delivered with a note reading: “It is refreshing to see women who care enough to look their finest-thanks for wearing the great hats.” Or something like that.

Often times people ask me where I come up with the stories I attach to my pieces. I was fortunate enough to have exhibited at art shows for many years and met women from all walks of life and in various stages of their lives. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to really listen to what they were saying because I learned a great deal and was able to include some of their wisdom in my stories. One woman in particular came to mind as I looked at my finished painting. Her name was Rosie. This sweet woman told me she had lost her husband but couldn’t take off her wedding ring. She said that she wore it for many years after he had died. Then, one day she realized that she was living in the past and had to go on with her life. Well, the story I wrote is reminiscent of hers but I changed it a bit so that it could be applied to different situations, like divorce. It’s a simple little story but probably meaningful for many women, whether they are wearing a ring or not.

Rosie

The bloom and innocence of youth matures and deepens into the serenity of wisdom. One day, without remorse, without regret, the symbol of unity and all that had been, gave way to all that is and will be…Rosie removed her ring.

View of Rosie from the bottom

Our Little Supper Club had a picnic on Sunday. The setting for this particular outing was so striking and had such history involved that I decided to do a complete posting of Nancy Markoff's historic home on another post. We had no major theme for the party except we decided it was a good idea to wear hats. Not everyone did but here are pictures of some of them.

Stephanie in her "Ya Ya" hat

Elizabeth, on left, and Trish, on right wear their squishable travel hats

Yours truly in a hat that I made for the occasion.

As far as the picnic food went, I couldn’t even begin to describe the offerings. It was all delicious but I thought I’d just show you what I brought this time and give the recipe. Even though this cake tart looks and tastes like an authentic French pastry, it is one of the easiest recipes I make. Noone can ever guess the ingredients. I normally do not use pre-mixed anything and I love fresh natural ingredients but I do make an exception with the cake tarts. It's probably not a good idea to double click it if you are terribly hungry right now.

Strawberry Cake Tarts

Strawberry Cake Tarts

Ingredients:

1 box of 2 frozen pie shells
1 can of whipped vanilla frosting
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 large jar of strawberry preserves
Powdered sugar

l.Roll out pastry shells and cut in rounds to fit cupcake pans. You can use the large or tiny ones.
2. Fill unbaked shells half full with the strawberry preserves
3. Make the cake mix according to directions on the box and place by spoonfuls over the preserves
4. Bake in a 300 oven til the cake rises-about 25 minutes but check often.
5. Remove, cool completely and ice with frosting and smatter powdered sugar over the top. Yum. You can place in the refrigerator if there are any left. They are even delicious cold the next day. This recipe will make approx. 18 regular cupckaes, depending on how thin you roll the pastry dough. It takes no time at all to make and almost everyone who tastes it, raves about it.

Why not have a picnic or make a hat or even...remove a ring? Have fun!

Rosie is for sale at my etsy shop. Here is a detail of the background in the picture below. I brushed Texture Magic Dimensional Paint over a stencil and then sanded it down a bit and painted to match background color. I love working with this paint because it dries in a relatively short time and works well with stencils. Be sure to clean your stencil off immediately though since the paint is hard to remove.

Detail of stencil work on background