Do you see what I see?

As you might have guessed, this week is the shop's busiest time of year. We get so many visitors coming through the door, each person looking for something special. Some people who only come around this time of year think we're only a holiday shop! The air is full of glitter, gleeful shouts of children, oohs and ahs from victorious treasure seekers, and the grumbles of those who have run out of holiday spirit.

A big part of keeping one's sanity at this time of year is knowing where to look, and what you're looking for. This is true when looking for holiday gifts, but it's also a good rule to follow in life in general. So when the clouds over Berkeley gave Fourth Street a little sprinkle this afternoon, we stood with our backs to the sun and took this picture to best remember the day.

The Colorful World of Mariaelisa Lebroni

When it rains in the spring in Berkeley, like it has been for the past few days, all the trees and streets and houses take on darker, richer, glossier colors. The blossoms brighten up, everything looks so fresh, and it feels great to be alive.

I get that same wonderful feeling every time I look at Mariaelisa Lebroni's artwork. We sell her xilographia (handmade woodblock-print) journals, photo albums, address books, and other delights at Castle in the Air. They've just debuted on our Online Shoppe, too, in the new Xilocart section. Take a peek and maybe you'll feel that same rainy day elation!

The City Doll's Kitchenette

I was upstairs in the Castle in the Air studio today, sorting through our collection of vintage clippings, photographs, postcards, and other what-not to make some ephemera packs for the store. One of the most charming pieces was a folded sheet of paper titled The Little Delineator, the children's supplement to a March 1923 edition of The Delineator, a popular women's magazine. Here's something for the kids to do on a rainy March day using a cigar box and some other household rubbish. (Click on the images to get a closer look.)

Rainy Day Escapes

Winter weather has finally hit Berkeley after a very long autumn. For most of America, winter means snow, but in Northern California we get downpours. Having grown up here, I always get the feeling that Christmas is that much closer once the rains begin.

In a town where the weather stays so nice for most of the year, it can be a treat to be forced indoors for some rainy day activities. One such pastime we promote at Castle in the Air is assembling and playing with paper theatres. For a century Pollock's toy theatres were at the top of the Christmas list for every boy in London, including my father. He collected them back when they were printed uncolored, and he painted them and brought to life daring adventures complete with lightning and cannon-fire effects. He was such an accomplished producer at the young age of 12, that when the BBC visited Pollock's and asked for someone who could perform paper theatre plays on live television, he was chosen for the honor.














New entertainments have edged out DIY theatres, but our friend Alan Pryor has kept the curtains up for Pollock's by reprinting a number of their paper theatre kits which we sell at Castle in the Air. It's amazing to me how scissors, glue, and a bit of imagination can transport me to the land of Aladdin or the quarterdeck of Blackbeard's pirate ship. Who said rainy days were no fun?