Antiques

You might be wondering what exactly makes something an antique. A lot of people think that anything old is automatically an antique. Well, that's not necessarily false, but it is not entirely true. An antique is generally referring to something that is at least 100 years old. That is a long amount of time, so that is what makes finding specific antiques very difficult to do.

Antique on the other hand is something that actually has been in existence for a pretty long time and have the years to boast about. They definitely age more than hundred years and this fact is often used as a yardstick in its selection.

When buying this rare and exquisite variety one must be careful and do a detailed scrutiny. Always deal with an authentic and trusted jeweler and preferably one who is adept in this niche but upcoming segment. After all jewelry buying is not only enjoyable but also involving and it is important that you know what you're taking home is worth the money that you're spending and in this case it is sure to be a considerable amount.

Christmas Greetings

This is Christmas Mass at Saint Patrick's Church in Stoneham, Massachusetts. My hometown church. My sister and I attended Mass this morning and we were lucky enough to have seats in the balcony. I snapped this photo before Mass started. It was much more crowded later on.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.  I will post about my seasonal activities later this week.

Right out of a Currier and Ives painting

We had a snowstorm Saturday night into Sunday morning and the timing of it made it impossible to photograph the action. It was just too dark to get good photos. So  I was bound and determined to get some snow shots during today's storm.

It was after 4:00 in the afternoon so the light of day was fading. I drove by our town common and it looked magical. I knew I had to stop and take a few shots from my phone's camera.

The scene before me, the gazebo, Christmas lights, a steady snow, were perfect ingredients for my own Currier and Ives "painting".

In Summer, this little patch of green space is host to community concerts, kids playing frisbee, and dog walkers.

I am not sure why there are not more lights on the trees on the common perhaps funding is an issue. Isn't it always?

Never mind about the lack of lights, it was pure magic to me today. My town has never looked so pretty.

I got back in my car before pulling away and heading home, literally a two minute drive away.

But then I saw the Congregational Church, the subject of many of my Winter in Stoneham photographs. I had to get one more photo of the church in the bluish light of Winter.

And of course, a parting shot of the Fire Station. The Firemen are in for a long night. I have already seen several fire trucks and ambulances drive by my condo this evening. Beautiful and sometimes treacherous Mother Nature at work.

A holiday tea in Harvard Square

On Sunday, I visited Harvard Square in Cambridge for an afternoon tea with friends. I love to go to Harvard Square during the Christmas season. Usually, I stop at Burdick's for a hot chocolate but on this day it was all about the tea.

Upstairs on the Square has eclectic décor. I love it's funky style and vibrant colors. It just makes me smile. What doesn't make me smile is the fact that it is closing it's doors on December 31st. So you can see why it was important that my friends and I go there for one last tea.

The food is and was wonderful there. We all had plenty to eat. There were the following tea sandwiches: chicken salad, ham salad, egg salad, and salmon. We then had a scone, a cheese biscuit and a mini quiche.

For dessert we had a lemon tart, date nut bread. red velvet cupcake, chocolate éclair, and two other chocolate and hazelnut treats. Again, the food was delicious!

I organized the event and I had the window seat with a lovely view of a historic home and a pretty wreath. I was definitely in a Christmas mood.

 

 It was fun to see all the little girls in their Sunday best dresses. They all looked so adorable.

We sat in the room surrounded b windows and it was a little chilly. I took some photos of the interior rooms. I especially liked this fireplace.

As the sun began to set, the lights outside were much more noticeable. I wished we had more time to explore. I am going to have to make a trip back there before the end of the holiday season and this time I'll stop at Burdick's and wave goodbye to the magnificent Upstairs on the Square.

Cat Nanny, A New Profession

For the fourth time this year, I have a cat sitting job. So I think I have a new profession. I am the  cat nanny.

My latest charges are Bing and Bartley, 5 year old brothers who are rescue cats. Bing is pictured above. His name was Bingo originally. Now he answers to Bing.

The kitty on the right is Bartley. He is a big, lovable boy and the most talkative one. He kind of reminds me of Oscar. Oscar is a chatty boy too.

Barley can look very stately when he poses in one of the living room chairs.

He can also be very silly. He loves to do somersaults on the kitchen floor and he is often standing on just his hind legs.

Bing is funny too. He's much more shy. He did warm up to me pretty quickly and he is very sweet.

The nice thing about this assignment is they live right upstairs from me. Yes, Bing and Bartley are my neighbors.

I am enjoying my new profession. It would be nice to do this full time but highly unlikely. Their Mommy returns on Friday night, but until I have to say goodbye I am enjoying the company of Bing and Bartley.

Thanksgiving Gratitude

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

Live event painting for a holiday wedding

Just wanted to share with you another one of my sister's wedding paintings. As most of you know, my sister is a live event painter which means she paints the goings on in front of her at a wedding or special event.

She starts the painting at the wedding and finishes it at her studio. This particular wedding I attended too. I took the reference photos for the painting. See my prior blogpost with the photos by clicking here . It was a New Year's Eve Wedding.

We were high up in one of the opera boxes and had an aerial view of the wedding, a location far different from all my sister's other paintings. I took tons pf photos as reference.

I took many photos of the bride and groom dancing as the client almost always want their first dance in the painting.

Here they are, the bride and groom, Caroline and Charlie. My sister even put the wedding photographer in the painting.

The family is usually included in the painting as well. So I took many frames of this group. The parents and siblings of the happy couple.

And here's the artistic interpretation of the moment. It fascinates me to see how much work my sister puts into each section of the painting. Making sure it all fits together so it is visually pleasing.

It's funny how one moment in time can be captured like this. A few people are smiling, one is looking down.

The chandeliers in the ballroom at the Boston's Park Plaza Hotel were spectacular.

I think their beauty was captured in the painting as were all the architectural details of the ballroom.

And there you have it. Many, many weeks of work and endless hours of tweaking the painting to get it just right. I think this is my favorite painting so far. The bride's mother told my sister she "absolutely captured" some of the background people without even knowing them. Cool stuff.

If you live in the New England area and would like to inquire about a live event painting for an upcoming event, please contact me at chatelaine08@gmail.com .