Classic Lolitas

I have been spending waaay too much time on this most excellent website http://www.polyvore.com where you get to play fashion editor. You can compile pages of clothes along with accessories and background. It’s not limited to just clothing, but interior designs and artistic collage. To my delight, I can even put together a Harajuku fashion page if I so choose.

But I did take the time out to paint a set of the Harajuku Classic Lolita look.

Now, back to Polyvore I go!

Maid Cafe

While wandering around Akihabara, the electronic district in Tokyo last year, I came across an innocuous-looking cafe. I was contemplating whether or not to go inside and expanding my waistline by indulging in some sweets when I noticed that the waitresses were all dressed in authentic turn of the century maid costumes. That’s when I remembered my friend Bill, who lived in Japan for a few years, telling me about the “Maid Cafes” wherein the waitresses (maids) were required to look angelic and cute, address male customers as “masters,” and perform such tasks as kneeling while stirring sugar and cream into the customers’ coffee and providing such services as cleaning out the patrons’ ears. It’s understood that there’s nothing trashy about this trend…how could it be? The girls were all layered in yards of petticoats, pinafores, aprons, and overdresses.

Some details…

Bill and I once had a discussion about the Japanese pop culture (more specifically, the pigeon toe-stance most Japanese girls seemed to favor) and found that most stemmed from comic books and anime. Is it art imitating life? Or life imitating art?

You be the judge.

(Check out a miniseries entitled: “Maid in Akihabara” on Youtube)

Hot Lunch

When I was still teaching at a public school, a lunch lady overheard me making fun of the cafeteria cuisine and proceeded to march me right into the kitchen so I’d have a better understanding of what sort of hell they had to go through daily to feed thousands of children each day. After seeing the giant Irene-sized pressure cooker, I never uttered another word of derision about school lunch again.

Sadie, properly attired in the lunch room uniform and hair net, is ready to serve the populace.

Close up.

Well, the Catholic school I was enrolled in didn’t have a hot lunch program, but that didn’t keep me from painting these kids in their polyester school togs!

Matryoshka Mania

One of my biggest pet peeve growing up, because I was born in the Year of the Rabbit, was that everything I owned either resembled a rabbit or had a rabbit motif on it. Bunny slippers, rabbit coin banks, pencils with a jaunty checkered rabbit eraser nub poised on top…you name it, I had it. I was even made to eat carrots at every meal because, apparently, there’s no difference between a rabbit and someone who was born in the year of one. This brought to mind my favorite episode of “The Tick” cartoon wherein our hero encountered a villain who called himself The Deadly Bulb but was really named Pigleg because of the surly swine attached to his right foot. He had a curio cabinet filled with pig-related paraphernalia given to him by friends. I know his pain all too well.

I was pleased that when I started painting the matryoshka dolls, I was able to divert people’s interest away from rabbits and hares and such…that is, until I found out there were literally scores of matryoshka-related merchandise out there for gifting.

Sheets: (left) Happy Sheets (right) Urban Outfitters

Chocolates by Viktoria Richards

Pupa Cosmetics “Puposka”

Babushka light from Mathmos

Flower by Kenzo and Vodka Matryoshka

Well, at least they’re a lot better than plush bunnies that household pets kept mistaking for a toilet.

It’s All Greek to Me

I learned everything I knew about Greek mythology from a 4-year-old boy I used to babysit. That, and dinosaurs. I have to say it’s a lot more interesting reading aloud a heavy tome at bedtime filled with monsters and heroes with unpronounceable names than “Hop on Pop.”

The Monsters…can you guess who is who?

Triton and Medusa

Some details…

Satyr, the Lamia, and the Cyclops.

Shop News!

Christmas is fast approaching! Why not give a one-of-a-kind present?

Here’s what’s in my etsy shop now:

(You can read more about them by clicking on the month they are posted in “archives”)

Harajuku Girls (March), Daughters of Beelzebub (October)

Night at the Opera (July), The Epicureans (July)

The Way of the Samurai (October), Mommyland (October)