The Tiniest Cake Party

There we were early this afternoon, going about the business of running the shop, when all at once we looked down and saw the most spectacular party going on, right there by the pen cups! The sock monkey brought a berry pie, the rabbit an almond tart, and the bees and the ladybug (who seem to be on the guest list at every picnic) brought their appetites. These magical creatures said they were friends of a woman named Victoria, who enjoys visiting Castle in the Air. To look at her creations, we say Victoria's got a bit of magic in her.

Spring Fever

The seasons always seem to come sooner than their official date on the calendar, and this is precisely what's happening with all the woodland creatures at Castle in the Air today. Our gnomes, usually content to stay near the pine needles and mushrooms on the forest floor, have been behaving unusually, riding their dragonfly friends in races and jousts, and floating down from high places with green leaf parachutes.

It being March, all the hares are kicking and leaping about. All of them, that is, besides the ones who are just content to sit, stare, and nod. Maybe they're shaking off their winter stupor!

A Weekend of Calligraphy

Our spring season in the Studio for the Imagination begins tomorrow with Bill Kemp's Calligraphic Flourishing and Introduction to Spencerian classes. Bill arrived from Albuquerque this morning to prepare everything for the weekend, and we couldn't help but notice the gorgeous turned wood oblique pen holders he'd laid out on the table. Our students this weekend will get first crack at these beauties, which he picked up from a maker in Colorado, and we plan to carry them in the store soon.

In Today's Mail

Look at this astounding illustrated letter from our creative correspondent Crissi. Incredible. The Blue Castle Badger got it moments after we snapped this photo and has been snuffling it around the store all afternoon. Thank you, Crissi!

Blessings and Good Fortune!

My family celebrated the Chinese New Year a few weeks ago by taking part in the festivities on Fourth Street. By far the most exciting event all day was the lion dance, performed by Kei Lun Martial Arts. Located in San Francisco, the Kei Lun dancers visited Berkeley to bestow good fortune and blessings on the shops and merchants of Fourth Street.

As part of the performance, the lion and the monk characters came into Castle in the Air. Roann, one of the newest members of the Castle crew, was downstairs that day. Recalling the excitement later, she said "They blessed the registers!"

According to the website for the Kei Lun Martial Arts group, "the kei lun is a benevolent mythical creature from Asian folklore. As an adjective, kei lun can be loosely translated as 'talented.'" Their lion dance on Fourth Street was featured that night in a segment on our local television news, and we certainly agree that they are talented.

March On!

March is here, and so is our new trade card calendar featuring our young French chef (we call him Gaston) and his culinary capers.

With March comes the first of our spring classes, beginning with three days of calligraphy with Bill Kemp. Bill's classes mark an auspicious start to this season in the Studio for the Imagination, as he will return in April to help Michael Sull teach the week-long Advanced Spencerian Saga.

There are only a few weeks left to see our current gallery show, "Prints, Charming," so do come by if you haven't been yet. We'll be taking the show down March 18 in preparation for our next exhibit -- stay tuned for details!

And finally, we're all breathing a sigh of relief because Easter is not until the first weekend in April this year. That means we have all of March for crafting and painting eggs.

Caron's Felted Friends

No one puts life and personality into felt like our Caron Dunn. She's teaching three felting classes at Castle in the Air this March and April, all with the sweetest little characters. Take a peek at the Online Shoppe for the listings for the Nesting Bird (March 18), Easter Chick with Carriage (March 28), and Wee Baby Bunny in Carriage (April 15).

Pysanky Eggs

One of the exciting new classes this spring is Elizabeth Alexander's "Pysanky - Artful Ukranian Eggs." Elizabeth is as much a treasure as any of these precious jewels, she brings such artistry and care to her work. The Ukranian style of decorating eggs involves a special stylus and a layering of colors and designs. These decorated eggs are universal symbols of the renewal that comes with spring, so we've scheduled the class just a few days after the equinox, on March 25, and a little more than a week before Easter.

Gnome Sweet Gnome

Even though gnome hunting season is still more than a month away, we found a veritable passel of gnomes on our dining room table recently, courtesy of the fabulous cake master Jeff Gosche. The event was our older daughter's birthday, and she and her friends had as much fun sampling the gnomes as they did noshing on the scrumptious cake.

Chinese New Year's on Fourth Street

Welcome to the Year of the Tiger! I've got a good feeling about this year, as we've got five Tigers among the Castle crew. Come out to celebrate the Chinese New Year on Fourth Street this Saturday, with storytelling, a martial arts performance, treats, banners, and of course the lion dance. Gung Hay Fat Choy!

CHINESE NEW YEAR 2010
February 20, 2010 from 12:30-5:00pm
Fourth Street at Delaware, Berkeley

12:30-1:30 Story Telling by the Tea Professor @ Teance
(age 12 yrs old and younger)

1:30-2:00 Martial Arts Demonstration on Delaware

2:30-3:00 Lion Dance Begins on Delaware

3:00-4:30 Merchant Store Blessings by Lion Procession

4:30-5:00 Lion Dance Finale on Delaware

All afternoon, merchants with a window sign reading "Gung Hay Fat Choy" will be handing out treats for kids.

And the prize goes to...

...Tumbleweed Trails! Today was the day for our One World - One Heart drawing, and when I drew Tumbleweed's comment from our hat, I was so happy to see that our copy of Commonplace Mouse would go to a grandmother who loves to read to her grandchildren. I wrote the book with my heroic younger daughter in mind, so I hope the grandchildren enjoy this story of one adventurous mouse's escapades.

Many thanks go to everyone who participated, both as giveaway hosts and as commenters. And of course, kudos to Lisa Swifka for putting on another successful and fun One World - One Heart event this year.

You know who you are.

A very happy Valentine's Day to Phoebe D., who sent Castle in the Air this lovely handmade card.

Give Me An Ink-Ling

Diamonds may be forever, but heartache is timeless, as this Valentine's card from the early 1920s shows.

Here's hoping that Bunny got her answer, and Happy Valentine's wishes to all the Billys and Bunnys of today.

Sea of Dreams

Earlier this week a magical boat, maybe the very one used by those famous navigators the Owl and the Pussycat, came sailing into Castle in the Air. It's the final piece to be prepared for "Prints, Charming," and it's a special vessel, as the hull of the boat used to be a whiskey barrel from St. George Spirits! Who knows how many reveries that cask has inspired in its day?

Everything is coming together to make Thursday night's reception and book signing a truly fantastic time. If you can't make it out then, you can come see the dressed prints and other art any time before the exhibit's final day of March 19.

Custom Made Love

If you've ever visited Castle in the Air, then no doubt you have been enchanted by the simple charm of Diva Pyari's Linea Carta greeting cards and sheet paper. Diva draws, calligraphs, and silkscreens all her own designs. Tomorrow (Saturday the 6th) Diva will be at Castle in the Air from 1pm-5pm making custom Valentine cards. She let us look at one such amorous note, but we couldn't peek inside because of the wonderful twine and wax seal! (It didn't seem to be addressed to us, anyway.) Come by tomorrow afternoon if you're able, and Diva will put you well on your way to making your Valentine's Day the most romantic yet.

Custom Valentines at Castle in the Air
by Diva Pyari of Linea Carta
1805 Fourth Street
Berkeley, Calif.
Saturday, February 6
1pm-5pm

Advanced Spencerian Saga

When I took my first look at the classes our teachers had assembled for this spring, I knew it would be the most fantastic season Castle in the Air's classroom had ever seen. We've got gypsies, marionettes, hedgehogs, Pysanky eggs, enchanted teapots, an octopus, and more.

At the heart of all our springtime classes, though, one course in particular stands out and is already getting quite a bit of attention. We're proud to announce that this April 18-23, master penman Michael Sull will bring his world-renowned Advanced Spencerian Saga to Castle in the Air. Six days in length, and accommodating 24 students, the Saga is the most ambitious class we've ever hosted. Sull will be joined by longtime Castle in the Air calligraphy teacher Bill Kemp, and will go beyond the basics in Spencerian script, flourishing, and accents. Color, composition, and alphabetic combinations will also be explored.

Visit our Advanced Spencerian Saga page for more information, and to sign up just click over to the Online Shoppe.

Spring Classes Are Here!

Although the official start of spring is still over a month away, we've already got spring fever at Castle in the Air. If you do too, you'll want to take a peek at the classes lined up for this coming March through May in the Studio for the Imagination. We've posted them all to the Online Shoppe, and have also put up a PDF download (1.84 MB) of our Spring 2010 class mailer, which is at press now and will be available at the store around the end of next week. If you're on our postal mailing list, please know that after the Spring 2010 mailing, we'll only be sending out the class schedule via the Castle Crier email list. So if you haven't yet, please sign up!

One World - One Heart 2010

I'm happy to announce that Castle in the Air is participating in this year's One World - One Heart event. One World - One Heart is the creation of Lisa "Oceandreamer" Swifka. Lisa began the event in 2007 as a way for more people in the blog world to say hello to one another and share their art.

Everyone who takes part announces their participation on their blog, then posts about an item they are giving away. Visitors to each blog involved leave a comment, and at the end of the event each participant randomly selects a visitor to win their prize.

Lisa describes One World - One Heart as not so much a contest but a virtual "open homes" tour with a chance to win a door prize at each stop. It really does feel that way as you click through to all the participating blogs and get to know so many people.

Last year was our first time to participate in the event. For our prize, we gave away a signed copy of Castle in the Air, the first book from Dromedary Press. Dromedary's newest book, Commonplace Mouse, was published recently, so it's a natural pick for this year's prize. Click here to see our many posts about this tale of perseverance and high adventure. One lucky winner will be sent an autographed copy.

If you'd like to enter to win the prize, all you have to do is leave a (non-anonymous) comment on this post. One World - One Heart ends on Monday, February 15, and that's the day we will draw the winner's name from a hat and announce it here.

To learn more about this event, visit the One World - One Heart blog.

"Prints, Charming" is here!

Once upon a time...well, late last night, to be honest...we put the finishing touches on Prints, Charming, the new exhibit at the Castle in the Air gallery. Because this is our second show, we had the luxury of being used to the gallery space and how to put up the art. We do have some rather unique pieces this time, however, including a ten-foot long framed print, several portraits only a few inches wide, and books (glorious books!) from the Dromedary Press line.

I've been living with some of the original images from the show for many years, some for just a number of months. Now that they are all dressed and gathered together, they all seem fresh and new and as though they are all part of the same family, which of course they are--princesses, magical animals, and my hero, Commonplace Mouse, who has been immortalized in time for the show not only in print through Dromedary but also in doll form by Caron Dunn!

Welcome to February!

Today kicks off a momentous month at Castle in the Air, as this morning we unveiled our new gallery show and this afternoon we took our spring class mailer to press. Both the gallery exhibit and the upcoming classes are spectacular (if we do say so ourselves!), but don't take our word for it. Come on by the shop and see for yourself. You can pick up one of our whimsical new monthly calendar trade cards, too, the first in a series featuring a junior French chef who will be getting into all sorts of trouble over the coming months.

Dromedary Dreams

One of my greatest joys of the past year has been to devote more time than ever to my book projects. For years, Dromedary Press has been a dream that I've been able to bring more and more into the waking world to share with everyone else. The gallery show is shaping up to be a grand celebration of my books and illustrations.

I hope many of you will be able to come to the book signing at Castle in the Air on February 11. But even if you can't join us, you can be a part of the adventure by getting your own copy of Commonplace Mouse through our Online Shoppe!

Prints, Charming

We've been a bit quieter than usual on the blog for the past few weeks, as we're giving all our spare moments to the preparation of the next Castle in the Air Gallery show, an exhibit of three dozen prints of my watercolor illustrations and portraits.

For this show, I've taken several of my favorite illustrations and embellished them in the "dressed prints" style popular in India. Countless hours in my home studio have been spent adding silk, feathers, jewels, lace, sand, and other elements to turn the flat prints into sculptural wonders. You'll have to come to the exhibit (or the reception and book signing on February 11) to take in the full effect.

Prints, Charming
Portraits from the Studio for the Imagination
February 1 through March 19, 2010

Gallery open 12 - 6 Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday

Reception and book signing with light refreshments Thursday, February 11, 6 - 8 p.m.

Castle in the Air
1805 Fourth Street
Berkeley, Calif. 94710
(510) 204-9801

Read the full invitation and press release.

Out With The Cold, In With The Flu!

The holiday season takes months of preparation and expense, but how many people stock up and brace themselves for flu season? Every single one of us at the shop has come down with a cold or the flu over the past few weeks, and now we're all (touch wood!) back to our normal, healthy selves. The picture here is a Victorian advertisement from Old London Cries & Characters, a reprint of a pamphlet we received recently from Alan Pryor of Pryor Publications. If only we'd had a bottle of Owbridge's when we needed it!

Happy New Year!

The holiday decorations are put away, everything is counted and in its place, and the store has been scrubbed from tip to tail. Now we can let the new year begin!

Rouze Up!

Welcome to 2010! We've completed our inventory and our redecorating, and will post photos here soon. In the meantime, Mr. Marsh brought us a beautiful letterpress postcard with a message that seemed a good way to begin the new year. Just click on the picture to see it larger.

From Mr. Marsh: Here's something that came in the post-box for Wonderella over the holidays, part of a pack of small letterpress cards from my colleague Alan Brignull of The Hedgehog Press. William Blake, letterpress postcard, an artistic call to arms...what more can one want? Alan's about nothing if not equality for all, so I'm sure he'd say that the message applies to the rouzing up of all Young Women of the New Age, too. If anyone wants to get in touch with Alan, he's at:

Alan Brignull
The Hedgehog Press
33 Heath Road
Wivenhoe
Colchester
C07 9PU
England

Rouze up O Young Men of the New Age!
Set your foreheads against the ignorant Hirelings! For we have hirelings in the Camp, the Court & the University : who would if they could, forever depress Mental & prolong Corporeal War.

Painters! On you I call! Sculptors! Architects! Suffer not the fashionable Fools to depress your powers by the prices they pretend to give for contemptible works or the expensive advertizing boasts that they make of such works...
--William Blake, from the preface to Milton

Happiest of New Years

It's been a busy and productive year at Castle in the Air, with a lot of changes for the store and many, many new friends and acquaintances. I hope you can say the same about your year, and that 2010 is greater still. The shop will be closed this coming Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for our annual inventory, and when we open our doors again you'll be able to see us transformed yet again, this time for a brand new decade. Happy New Year!

Commonplace Mouse is Here!

Callooh! Callay! After many adventures, Commonplace Mouse has arrived at Castle in the Air! Today a large truck pulled up alongside the store and a couple of nice fellows helped us unload box after box of the brand new book, the latest publication from our publishing company, Dromedary Press. We're still getting our little hero situated, but soon you'll be able to take this heroic story of a brave little mouse home with you. Hooray!

A Night of Miniature Marvels

In the midst of all the wrapping paper and visitors and the flurry of everything else that happens around the holidays, all of us at the shop take one evening each December to share a nice meal and have our annual ornament swap, white elephant style with numbers drawn from a hat and rambunctious trading. Here are some pictures of half a dozen treasures from the big night. I took these photos at home of the ones Duncan and I took to the dinner, and of the ones our family brought home. The ones we didn't capture were just as whimsical and fun.

The mother and child ornament at the top was my contribution to the evening, a combination of felting and other fiber arts with some doll faces and hands. Julie brought us an adorable cotton batting bird this year. The little peep has a baguette under her wing because she's heading to Paris next year!




Shari felted a sweet star ornament, and as luck would have it, my younger daughter opened it, much to both her and Shari's delight.







John's candy box ship, finished with crepe paper and Dresden trim and flying an iridescent sail, was the first ornament to be opened. It was also at the center of the final surprise of the evening when my older daughter nabbed it after nearly an hour of patient and polite plotting!

Mr. Marsh added to the pile a handmade (and fully loaded) bill holder that could come in handy on a rainy day, and Duncan was glad to take it home.

As for Duncan's gift to us, he brought a precious miniature tea house made of balsa wood and topped with a fresh layer of mica snow. Inside the house an electric tea light flickered, enchanting everyone so much with its cozy glow that this ornament was one of the most actively swapped all night.