Pipe Dreams

I can't help myself; it's in my blood. On both my mom's and dad's sides of the family, there was a undeniable propensity towards the theatre, dance and music. The handsome couple you see in the first photo (please click on all photos to see their beauty) are my maternal grandparents; they were ordinary people who lived rather simply, in fact according to my mom, Abuelo drived a delivery truck for Whitman's Candies and Abuela worked in a thrift store. But when the entire family got together, there were lively costumes, music, dancing and great memories; many souvenirs recorded in photos such as this one where they are posing rather elegantly are abundant in my collection. As I was looking through my mother's album one day, I saw photos of my aunts, uncles, and distant relatives dressed up in various costumes. I had seen these pictures throughout my childhood but this particular day as I was flipping through the musty pages, I was struck by a revelation. I said to myself, "This explains a lot." You see, I was a dancer and had acted during my teens and early 20s. But the love for dressing up, assuming the roles of my favorite characters and dreaming of fairy tales has never left me. Some of my more left-brain friends and colleagues find my artistic bent rather amusing, but I live and breathe creativity through the theatrical. I realized that day as I studied my family's photos, that the whimsical approach to my teaching and even home decorating revolves around my love for the fantastic. And like my father, I adore miniatures, especially vintage style trinkets that shimmer in muted golds or little crowns meant for tiny fairies. My father was a genius at making something wondrous out of junk from the garage and I don't know if I possess the degree of his abilities, but I do enjoy creating small things. I have had this itch to construct a French-style puppet theatre and using things I had around the house, here is the result.

I took a small bookcase, painted it white and nailed on some vintage tin trim that I got from Julie at gildedmoons.blogspot.com. I glued on a small gold frame at the top and small gold corbels on both sides.

Welcome to Le Petit Théâtre de Chimères. The French word Chimère means, "wild or pipe dream." Welcome to my world. Stay posted for the first act of the debut of my original play featuring some characters that I have collected through the years, who have been sitting unanimated in my curio cabinet. Therefore Mesdames et Messieurs, put on your mink coats, tails and top hats and amble on down the aisles and find a seat; the next post and le Petit Théâtre de Chimères will present to you,

La Diva©

I dedicate this work to my beautiful grandparents; Gracias Abuelos!