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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Marvelous Marolin

You may be surprised to learn that, among all the glitz of the season, one of our most beloved collections at Castle in the Air is the beautiful and understated work of the Marolin company. This family business has been making the finest paper mache sculpture -- including this exquisite nativity scene -- for over 100 years in Germany. Their pieces have been part of Castle in the Air since the store opened.

Our visitors always notice the Marolin nativity scene in December, of course, but throughout the year we also display the company's fairy tale characters and other historical figures (we currently have Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Little Red Riding Hood, and Adam and Eve, among others), and our teachers often incorporate Marolin doll parts into their classes. In fact, Marolin brought the parts shown here out of retirement exclusively for Castle in the Air. Our store is he only place to find them. We loved these expressive faces and sweet little arms so much from the moment we saw them, that there was no way we would let them vanish into memory like so many other lost treasures.

Shooting Stars and Silver Bells

This Thursday night we will have our final class of the year in the Studio for the Imagination, the second of John McRae's Heirloom Christmas Ornaments class (Two seats left as of this writing.) John is bringing in some vintage silver ball and bell ornaments and a trove of glittery adornments (including bullion, tinsel, scrap, and other goodies) for them. Take a look at these photos of the ornaments John and his students made last at last week's class. I'm sure the ones this week will be just as dazzling.

Heavenly Bodies

Here are some photos from the first of two Angel Tree Topper classes John McRae is teaching at Castle in the Air (the second class is tonight). Students begin with a special copper and wood armature finished with painted paper mache arms and heads pressed from 100-year-old molds. To this, they add a cotton batting gown dusted with vintage mica snow, then decorate their angels with stars, orbs, and other celestial accouterments.

In classical thought, angels are said to dwell in the space beyond the stars we see every night. Having seen these heavenly bodies in person, we have to agree!

Coven Gone Wild!

Yesterday John McRae and three crafty spirits convened for a witches meeting. The results? These devilishly delightful spellcasters! The Masked Ball Witch comes apart at the waist to hold candies, spell components, or whatever treats or tricks you might have picked up during your witches night out.

Beyond the Clouded Mirror

Today John McRae and I are swimming in picture frames in the gallery at Castle in the Air, trying to find just the right place for each of the photographs that are part of the gallery's first show. I'll post more on that once we're through, but in the meantime, you can take a peek at another fantastic frame.

John brought this in this morning -- it's the sample for his "Haunted Mirror" class, coming up this Saturday. The frame is constructed from an assortment of Dresden Trim, the mirror is a specially coated two-way wonder, and what's behind the glass... Well, let's just hope it stays there!

For more about John's "Haunted Mirror" class, visit the Castle in the Air Online Shoppe.

Back from the Dead!

We were all smitten with this hapless fellow the day Ulla Milbrath brought him in to Castle in the Air. He's our sample for Ulla's Dia de Los Muertos Shadowbox class. He once lived a vibrant life, but sadly died of a broken heart. Ulla took pity on the little guy and arranged his bones inside a pretty little casket decorated with velvet and Dresden trim. A candle sits on top of the casket and the door is hinged in case he ever gets a little more life in his bones.

Speaking of which, the Shadowbox class sold out so quickly that Ulla's agreed to teach it a second time, on Friday, October 30. Whether you missed the opportunity to sign up for the class originally, or if you're just now meeting this charming but brokenhearted box of bones, now's your chance to make your own Dia de Los Muertos Shadowbox. See you then!

Be the Queen of Halloween!

If you've been following our weblog for a while, then you're familiar with the work of Caron Dunn. Whether she's needlefelting a little friend like Thumbelina or illustrating a countryside scene in watercolor, Caron walks the path of the adorable and charming.

That said, how thrilled we were to see Caron's take on a project a little creepier than what she's done before. Here's a picture of her Bat Wing Crown, the perfect finishing touch for your spooky costume this Halloween. Best of all, the class is on All Hallows Eve itself, finishing around tea time to let you put on the rest of your party paraphrenalia as you become the Queen of Halloween.

Rubber Stamp Carving with Alice

We only stock blank cards at Castle in the Air, because we figure people already know what they want to say when they're sending a message to a friend or loved one. Why use someone else's words? And if this sentiment is taken even further, why even use another person's pictures?

Rubber stamping is the best way to print beautiful, inexpensive cards with a personal touch. We're so lucky to have rubber stamp queen Alice Armstrong as a regular teacher at Castle in the Air, and this fall she'll be in the Studio for the Imagination showing how to transfer found or drawn images to your own rubber stamps. The pieces pictured here are from some of the cards she's made with stamps she's carved herself.

To learn more about this class, which will be held on Sunday, October 4, visit the Castle in the Air Online Shoppe.

Fall Classes Are Here!

For the first time ever, Castle in the Air is selling its entire season of classes through our Online Shoppe! Don't miss your chance to fall into a seat in the Studio for the Imagination!

Last Call for Fall!

The nearsighted gnomes are crossing the Ts and dotting the Is on the "Castle Crier" email newsletter. If you don't already subscribe, sign up today to get first crack at all the great classes coming up this fall at Castle in the Air!

Three Generations

We spent today at the shop putting the final touches on the autumn class mailer, and as I was talking with our class coordinator Shari on the phone, she mentioned an amazing fact: Caron Dunn had three generations of students in her class this past week! Mother, daughter, and grandmother spent the day together at Castle in the Air learning and creating together.

It got me thinking about all the sorts of people who take classes at Castle in the Air. Mothers come with children to have a special day. Friends reconnect in class with a favorite craft, or to celebrate a birthday or other special occasion. Some people come not knowing anyone in the class but leave with new friends and a real sense of accomplishment because of what they've made and learned.

In a class a few weeks ago, a student asked about the possibility of having a private class, just for her and her friends. Why not? Maybe you are the sort of person who celebrates with a special class at Castle in the Air!

Peek-A-Boo Lovey

The multi-talented Caron Dunn has done it again, charming us with another precious project. We've recently seen Caron's felted friends, and her watercolor painting classes are always popular and fun. But this week she brought by her latest creation -- a delightful little doggy who plays peek-a-boo when he pops out of his festive cone.



Watch the video to see him do his thing, and visit the Online Shoppe to sign up for the class!

Colorful Summer Classes

I've been busy the past few days photographing the sample projects our teachers have sent in. We've already listed a handful of upcoming classes at the Online Shoppe, with more on their way. I hope you can make it to the loft studio for a day or two with our amazing teachers!

Illustrated Letters

Before there were web pages and blogs, it was more common to see people adding color to their communication by drawing and painting images on the letters they sent through the good old U.S. Mail. Tomorrow Caron Dunn and I are teaching a class on illustrated letters in the studio at Castle in the Air, so this morning I worked up some sample envelopes. What makes illustrating letters such a delight is that it really gives you more time to think about the person who will be receiving it, and making art that you think they'll really enjoy.
Of course, any letter is a joy to receive, especially if it has a beautiful stamp on it. The post-office is raising its rates on Monday to 44 cents for a first class letter, so we bought a new book of stamps for the shop. They've got some wonderful art on them!

Castle Quick Craft: Sweet Pea Bouquet

If you're on the Castle in the Air email list, then today you'll be receiving the new issue of our shop newsletter, The Castle Crier.

Every issue of The Castle Crier includes a craft you can make at home, kind of like a simplified version of a class from the Studio for the Imagination. This time around one of our talented paper-flower class teachers, Aimee Baldwin, shows us how to make a bouquet of springtime sweet peas. The flowers use our doublette crepe, some floral wire, and a few other craft items you might already have. They're perfect for Mother's Day or a springtime birthday, so colorful and cheerful that I'm sure you'll want to make them year-round.

If you're not on the mailing list, then what are you waiting for? Both the Quick Craft instructions and The Castle Crier email newsletter sign-up form are available through the front page of the Castle in the Air Online Shoppe.

At the Back of the North Wall

Will wonders never cease? We've all been so intrigued (and occasionally frightened) by all the banging and clanging inside the north wall at Castle in the Air that today I decided to investigate what could be causing such a racket. A tiny bit of plaster had fallen away from a space lower on the wall, about knee-high from the floor. I crouched down and peeped in, when what did I see but all the resident gnomes hard at work on the other side! Apparently someone's told them about our (until now) secret plans to stretch out and expand all of the marvelous things we do here in our store, studio, and study!

When the gnomes -- along with a few of their human counterparts -- have finished their work, things will be very different here at Castle in the Air. The most noticeable change for our everyday visitors will be the addition of an upstairs art gallery to showcase some of the more spectacular works of our artists. The gallery, which will be built in what is now the shop office, will also serve as an expansion of our classroom. One of our Hoopoe messenger-birds has been flitting through the town and across the countryside, delivering invitations to renowned teachers who will be able to come and lead some special super-sized classes in our Studio for the Imagination. During the winter months, we plan to use the extra space to offer even more holiday marvels.

On the other side of the wall, the behind-the-scenes work at Castle in the Air will continue in a spacious new setting. Our Online Shoppe has grown since its launch last fall, and we are using measuring tape and sketch-pads to dream up a space where it can continue to thrive and serve more and more friends who live too far away to visit Castle in the Air in person. We will also have a new workshop for the creation of one-of-a-kind items, as well as our beloved ephemera packs.

Finally, the expansion is helping me further realize a dream I've had since the days before I first opened the doors at Castle in the Air. The relocation of the shop offices will afford us the space to grow Dromedary Press. My own publishing company, Dromedary makes many of the greeting cards we sell at the store, as well as the limited-edition book, Castle in the Air. Our next title is on its way later this year, and the extra space will help us to keep going with more books and projects that reflect the artistry and ideals we've all built up at Castle in the Air.

So if you come by the shop in the next few weeks and see a bit of plaster on the floor or hear a knock in the wall, don't be surprised if you find a dusty little fellow adjusting his pointy hat and picking up his hammer or pick-axe. He's just one of the many helpers who are bringing about a new era at Castle in the Air.

Cutting Up at the Castle

It's tea time at Castle in the Air, and Ulla Milbrath has just wrapped up today's class, "Introduction to Paper Cutting." She's been working with cut paper silhouettes in her home studio for some time, but today was the first time she's taught the art.

Six students arrived at the studio this morning and, using scissors and X-Acto blades, were guided through a simple cut-out of a swan. Later, they tried a more complex cut-out, one that required some interior cuts. Before the day was out, they'd finished a silhouette collage by embellishing a portrait with other images they cut out from pieces from Ulla's collection, and started on a larger project that they can finish at home.

Ulla says she loved how different every piece looked, even though they all began with some of the same elements. Some of the pictures came from Silhouettes, a Dover book by Carol Belanger Grafton that Ulla recommends. She wasn't the only one who enjoyed the day. One excited student even exclaimed, "We had more fun than we could have even imagined!"

Do you want to try it right now? Ulla's let us turn one of her simple collages into a silhouette for you to download and cut out yourself! Click here to try it!

Back to Basics

Here's a photo from the studio of our unbelievable watercolors teacher, Linda Hanson. Linda and I have been talking shop more this year, since I've been spending more time with my own watercolors. We discuss process, our studios, and our works in process. I feel really lucky to have forged a strong bond with such a talented artist and teacher. An encore of one of her most beloved classes -- Introduction to Watercolor Painting -- is coming up on May 15, I'm hoping that I will be able to sit in on it. Even as an experienced painter, I know that Linda will have new techniques and perspectives to show me. She always does. If you want to be there, too, you can register through the Castle in the Air website.

Visions!

When the lucky students at Castle in the Air finish their project tonight, they won't believe their eyes. That's because our newest teacher, Denise Juliani, is helping them combine a simple set of craft materials into truly extraordinary kaleidoscopes. Made from simple pieces of acrylic and mirrors, filled with tiny treasures, and decorated on the outside with colorful paper, glitter, and ribbons, the kaleidoscopes are a feast for the eyes both as objects and experiences.

Denise shared with us a kaleidoscope she'd already made, and now we can share it with you!

Summer Classes Are Here!

Our summer class mailer is at the printers and will be in the mail soon, but in the meantime, you can get the first look at our offerings at the Castle in the Air website. Click on the "Classes" link to page through our calendar and register online for your seat in our Studio for the Imagination.

A Testimonial

This weekend Castle in the Air is welcoming back master calligrapher Bill Kemp, who flies in from Albuquerque a few times a year to teach classes in the studio. Bill will be teaching copperplate script this time, and when he returns the weekend of July into August he'll teach Spencerian script and flourishes.

Spencerian script was developed by the American calligrapher Platt Rogers Spencer in 1840 as a writing hand appropriate for business and social correspondence. It was the standard into the 20th century, when it was edged out by the Palmer Method (which most of us remember from school days) and the rise of the typewriter.

As we were preparing the summer class mailer (which is on press as I write this), we came across a fun old "testimonial" from a Spencerian student back in the script's heyday. You can click on the picture to get a closer look. Mr. Morgan's had quite good success with just five weeks of practice!

In a World of Their Own

On Tuesday, eight ingenious and industrious students created their own miniature worlds in John McRae's "Wardian 'Glazed Glass' Garden" class. Using transparent sheets of mica, Dresden trim, turned wood, papier-mache boxes, and tiny flora and fauna, they constructed perfect little landscapes under ornate domes.

John says he loved the creativity that each student brought to her or his garden. One finished hers with a mica base so that she could view her scene from any angle. Another student brought a string of lilliputian lights and her landscape looked inhabited by fireflies or will o' the wisps. Pure magic!

Outside the Lines

Linda Hanson came to the Castle in the Air studio today to teach her Watercolor Postcards class. Although I wasn't in the class I found myself drawn in time and time again throughout the day. Linda's classes are perfect for beginners, but even though I've painted since I was little, every time I have taken a class with her I've learned something new.

Today while I was peering in, I saw the most ingenious traveling paint set Linda had made. She took an old Altoids tin, finished the inside and outside with enamel paints, and put together her very own set of colors by filling little trays with squeezes of watercolor paint from tubes. Even though the tubes are expensive, this solution is more economical in the long run. A single 8ml tube like the ones in this photo might contain a lifetime supply of that color.

But it's not the economics of Linda's paint set that makes me love it. It's the fact that it's so personal. Linda only has to buy the colors that she wants, not set after set of pre-made palettes created by someone who she doesn't know and who doesn't know her. We don't all see the world in Dioxazine Violet or Vandyke Brown (my own current palette at home doesn't contain any red, yellow, or orange), so why should we be limited to the palette sold to us?

More Beeswax Collage with Alice Armstrong

Speaking of classes, our Beeswax Collage class with Alice Armstrong coming up this Sunday filled up so quickly that we've added a second class to the calendar. In this innovative day-long session, you'll learn how to incorporate beeswax both as an adhesive (no glue is used) and as a final coating for your collage projects. Alice says she loves how it softens the look of a collage, and she likes the friendly, non-toxic nature of the beeswax.

The new class will be on Sunday, April 5. To learn more, or to reserve a space in the class, visit the Beeswax Collage class page on our Online Shoppe or call the store at (510)204-9801.

The Curious Case of Mr. Ward

When we were drawing up our spring class list for Castle in the Air, John McRae brought in a delightful Victorian book called Window Gardening, and told us how he was so inspired by the pictures and descriptions of the ornate "Wardian case" planters from that era that he wanted to teach a class reproducing some of them with mica, Dresden trim, and trimmed down chess pieces. Of course we said Yes!

From John's book: "The history of the Wardian or fern case, dates back to 1829, when a gentleman by the name of Ward, of London, first noticed, accidentally, the growth of vegetation under a close glass. He had laid down the chrysalis of an insect with some mould within a glass bottle, and covered it over. A short time afterward, as he describes it, a speck or two of vegetation appeared on the surface of the mould and, to his surprise, turned out to be a fern and a grass. His interest was awakened; he placed the bottle in a favorable situation, and found that the plants continued to grow and maintain a healthy appearance."


















John will also teach you how to make captivating botanical scenes inside from vintage velvet fern fronds, handmade clay flowers and mushrooms, cork and foam, and other materials. We can't think of a better hothouse for your imagination. Interested? Register for the Wardian "Glazed Glass" Garden class through the Castle in the Air Online Shoppe.

"As easy as ABC (again!)"

Although we love to play at Castle in the Air, when we say "Yoyo on a String" or "Kaleidoscope in a Plastic Bag," we're not talking toys. These are techniques that will be taught by our paper-crafting pearl of a teacher, Ulla Milbrath, next weekend at her "More ABCs of Altered Books" class. The two-day course picks up where Ulla's first "ABCs" class left off, introducing more than 26 new fun ways to add excitement to your book arts project.

"More ABCs" is the first class to be added to the Castle in the Air Online Shoppe. Visit "Castle Classes" for more information or to sign up.

The Castle Crier: Valentine classes are here!

For everyone who loves to visit Castle in the Air's upstairs studio for classes with our amazing crafting and art teachers, the wait is over! If you're on our mailing list, you can expect your copy of the spring class flier within a few days. And if you can't wait that long (and if you've signed up on our email list), check your inbox for your copy of The Castle Crier, the Castle in the Air's brand new email newsletter!

The first issue of The Castle Crier includes information on five special Valentine's Day-themed classes that begin next week. There are plenty of seats still available for the classes, in which you can learn these fun and festive crafts (pictured left to right):







* A deliciously lovely needlefelted strawberry cake box (taught by Caron Dunn)
* A papier-mache heart box with delicate paper cut decoration (taught by Ulla Milbrath)
* A "lover's eye" brooch to remind you of your sweetheart (taught by Ulla Milbrath)
* A Valentine optique to celebrate romantic love (taught by John McRae)
* An antique-inspired velvet heart box (taught by John McRae)

Because not everyone who wants to join in the fun can make it to our store classes, every issue of The Castle Crier also features a special craft that you can make at home. This issue's project is by our needlefelting queen Caron Dunn, who will teach you how to make the precious little Valentine's heart charms pictured at the top of this post. You can attach them to a charm chain, a love letter, or anything that could use a little more love. Visit The Castle Crier for all the details!

Painting with Dad

For Christmas, I gave my dad a gift that he and I could enjoy for years to come -- my personal set of watercolors, some brushes, and a promise to teach him how to use them. I'd given him some leather-bound journals with Arches paper a while back, and once he had the paint set and some Winsor & Newton Series 7 brushes he had all he needed to get started. We're beginning with some color gradients and other technique exercises.

It's really been a treat to revisit an old skill and take it from the beginning again. Teaching my dad watercolor gives me a chance to see the art not only through the eyes of the teacher, but also through the eyes of the new artist. Surprisingly, it's the latter perspective that helps me to see new possibilities in painting. In learning any kind of art, one of the challenges is retaining openness and vulnerability, remaining humble before our own aptitude and the nature of the medium we're working with. All of this is to say that even in the short time I've been painting with my dad, I see that somewhere over the past 25 years my skill surpassed that necessary humility. So I'm learning too, and as he and I bond over this holiday gift it's been a bit of a present to myself as well.

Yesterday we took the Castle in the Air spring class mailer to press, and if you're on the mailing list you can expect it in your mailbox within a few weeks. I'll be co-teaching some painting classes, and of course we'll have dozens of other courses in a variety of arts, all taught by the best instructors. I hope to see you in the studio!

Silhouettes from Ulla

Yesterday I was so charmed when Ulla Milbrath came by and gave me the sweetest present -- a silhouette papercut scene starring Pinocchio and some of his winged friends! We're big fans of Pinocchio at my house, and are thrilled to have the honor of hanging Ulla's fantastic picture in our house.

For those of you who want to try silhouette papercut for yourself, Ulla has promised to teach a class this spring at Castle in the Air on this intricate and rewarding art. Sign up for our class schedule and we'll email you once the date is set.