Fierce Felts

For me, one of the many joys of going to Castle in the Air every day is meeting the amazing artists who stop by. Whether they're shopping for materials, showing us items they've made, or just spending time on Fourth Street, the artists who come into the store all have wonderful stories to tell, both in words and in the works they bring with them.

Take Uma Schaef, a felting force of nature who visited Castle in the Air recently to show us her woolly wonders. These pictures are closeups of a great coat and a shawl she wet-felted featuring depictions of mythological creatures. She regaled us with the folklore behind the visuals for these fierce characters -- did you know that lions are sometimes depicted with antlers, which signify the king of the beasts' roar?!

Uma also showed us a knapsack and a few hats that she'd made. All were incredible in their detail and the freshness of the creatures. It seemed as though they were ready to fly right out of the wool. If you would like to see Uma's creations, give her a call at (510)486-0333.

Slaying the Dragons

"Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle,
be our protection
against the malice
and snares of the devil."
-- Pope Leo XIII

Last summer was particularly hard for me, with many family and other personal issues coming to a head at the same time. I've always relied on art as my shield against the "malice and snares," no matter in what form they arrived. But when things got too tough, I realized that art by itself wasn't going to cut it. I needed some armor.

George the Dragonslayer is the patron saint for my family and for Castle in the Air, vanquishing fear with his decisive sword. Even though I was a fearsome fencer in college, these days I've dropped my sword in favor of my paintbrush, or perhaps...magic markers? Trying times call for a bit of magic, no?

Inspired by George's heavenly counterpart, the Archangel Michael, I took up my markers and forged some divine armor from a dress. The magic flowed into my new linen hauberk, with wraparound Dragonslaying heraldry! As soon as I put on the dress I knew I'd have the strength to face the world again. It's come in handy a few times since last summer, too!

"Medieval Times"

My family loves few things more than an inspired theme party, so when my older daughter -- who turns seven this week -- asked to have a "medieval times" birthday celebration, I was on a mission.

We sent out invitations she drew and lettered in the style of illuminated manuscript pages and, before the guests arrived, hung streamers from the ceiling and arrayed ourselves in finery of the Middle Ages. Duncan and I wore robes and adornments we found at a local Shakespeare festival costume sale, and the girls put on favorite party dresses. Our younger daughter added to her look with a felted dragon headdress from a few Halloweens ago. We were so thrilled as we welcomed the guests to see that many other people had decided to dress the part too. There was even another baby dragon for ours to play with!

For refreshments, we provided simple foods such as figs, pears, kumquats, cheese, and bread, with wine and tea for the grownups. One friend of ours provided the party with minstrel-style guitar playing, and there was a dancing revue by the girls (and at least one adult).

The pièce de résistance, however, was the birthday cake. Set on a board decorated to look like a medieval meadow, complete with castle in the background, the cake itself was made in the shape of a running unicorn. It was the creation of a dear Castle in the Air customer, my friend Jeff Gosche. As enchanting as the unicorn was to adults and children alike, once it was time for cake, the birthday girl wasted no time in carving up the fabulous creature for us all to enjoy.