When people in Chico, California say they are “walking the dog,” chances are they are talking about doing a yo-yo trick and not actually walking their pet.Downtown Chico is yo-yo land and home to the National Yo-Yo Museum founded by Bob Malowney, who also owns the gift shop Bird in Hand that shares a 10,000-square-foot building with...
In the 1860s, William H. Mumler was making a good living as a photographer in Boston, Massachusetts but he was no ordinary photographer.William H. Mumler, from an engraving in Harper's Magazine, May 1869.Public domainMumler was a famous “spirit photographer.” People flocked to his studio to get portraits taken of themselves with the spirits of their loved ones,...
In the latter half of the 19th century, there were limited job opportunities for people with disabilities, so when he carved his career path, Andrew Clemens turned to the hobby he enjoyed during his summer vacations from school — sand art.Andrew Clemens.Public domain photoA self-taught folk artist, Clemens’ delicate craftsmanship of his sand art, contained in small...
With Ruth Handler as the catalyst, Mattel's first Barbie doll debuted at the American Toy Fair in New York City in 1959. The 11-1/2-inch, curvaceous, fresh-faced doll with a ponytail and a black-and-white striped swimsuit was unlike anything ever seen before. Handler's first attempt at doll making launched one of the most amazing success stories in the history...
Ruth Handler was confident and determined on the eve of the 1959 American International Toy Fair in New York.As president of Mattel, a company founded by her husband Elliot – along with Harold “Matt” Matson, a friend of Elliot’s – in 1945, Handler was a dogged businessperson who trusted her instincts. Despite the naysayers in her own...
What do you think of when you hear the name Monet in reference to jewelry? As a fan of vintage accessories, for the longest time I thought most of the company’s jewelry was, in a word, boring. That changed when I discovered pieces from the late 1960s and early ’70s at an estate sale a couple of...
Many collectors are enchanted by miniature objects, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is no different.To keep the art form alive, the Queen has been purchasing miniatures of considerable significance during her reign, including a portrait of the architect Hugh May by Samuel Cooper and a portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria by John Hoskins, once in the collection...
DALLAS – Illustrator Robert Peak is so often cited as “The Father of the Modern Movie Poster” that when you Google the latter, you inevitably get the former.The ad man and maker of Time magazine covers painted more than 130 film posters in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, and was feted time and again “for injecting vitality...
In a place where vice is normally prohibited, felons serving time at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City once operated a casino known as the “Bullpen,” which offered every game of chance, including blackjack, craps, poker, gin rummy and sports betting.The casino, which operated from 1932 to 1967 in a converted stone building, had every gaming...
Clara Driscoll, the nearly invisible design force behind many of Tiffany Studio's finest stained-glass lamps, overcame staggering obstacles to illuminate the artistic talents of women hidden in the shadows of early 20th-century America.The irony of Clara Driscoll's life is not unnoticedChances are, you don’t know Driscoll. That’s understandable. Even at the height of her inventive and artistic...
Sponsored by Shubb:Shubb Capos have earned a place in countless gig bags, vintage guitar cases, bars, clubs, recording studios and...
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About US
Welcome to our stimulating blog and journal!
Hello! Let me introduce my wife and myself. I am Stephane and I was really lucky to meet my wife, Mariolis, 14 years ago in the beautiful Caribbean island of Cuba. For some time now we have dreamed to create an on-line ‘dairy’ and blog to share aspire our life’s passions
Read my full story.
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