Claribel Cone, Gertrude Stein, Etta Cone, 1903

Claribel Cone, Gertrude Stein, Etta Cone, 1903 , originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I'm taking a few days off from work & decided to spend yesterday afternoon at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Since I'm a decorative arts fan, I wandered around the Dorothy McIlvain Scott wing & period rooms for quite a while, but I also had to visit the Cone collection, which is my favorite part of the museum.

Baltimore sisters Dr. Claribel Cone & Etta Cone came from a well-to-do Jewish family & lived lives that would be considered somewhat unusual even now, but were quite shocking back then. Neither ever married or had children, & they befriended & supported some of the most Bohemian artists of their time. Claribel became a doctor at a time when many considered such a course of study unnatural in a female. Even many physicians of the era, such as Dr. Edward Clark, thought that excessive education caused women's brains to use up blood that was needed for menstruation. Etta greatly admired her sister's medical career, although she had no such ambitions herself. She tended the family home on Eutaw Place & seemed to have no great passions until her brother gave her $300 to decorate the family home. The "Impressionistic" Theodore Robinson paintings she purchased with the money scandalized her family. For Etta, a lifetime of collecting had begun.

I've long been curious to know more about the Cone sisters, so after yesterday's visit to their collection, I stopped in the BMA Shop & bought "The Art of Acquiring" by Mary Gabriel. Ms. Gabriel is a journalist who also attended the Maryland Institute College of Art, right here in town, & her knowledge of & connection to Baltimore really come through in her writing. Since they collected jewelry, textiles, & many other objects in addition to fine art, it seems that some have, unfortunately, come to see denigrate the Cone sisters as mere "shoppers". Ms. Gabriel asserts that, had the sisters been men, they would not have received such a label, & I think she makes an excellent point. I've never heard William or Henry Walters referred to in such terms. At any rate, I'm very much enjoying Ms. Gabriel's book & highly recommend it.

50's rose skirt from NY

50's rose skirt from NY, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Again, making up for promised posts. So here I am in the fabulous 50's skirt I bought at the Chelsea flea market back in June. Bit of a splurge, but how often does one find little-worn vintage skirts with attached crinolines? This was purchased from Helen, who sets up on the first floor of the market and sells the most amazing vintage clothing and accessories. Her stuff isn't cheap, but it is gorgeous and in great shape (and, I must admit, very reasonable by NY standards.)

Yellow Rose Cake

Yellow rose cake, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I promised cake pictures a while ago, didn't I? Okay, here goes. This was my final cake for Course One. I think the roses and leaves turned out quite well, given that it is summer in the Mid-Atlantic and it's a miracle the icing wasn't completely liquid by the time it came out of the pastry bag. I was very pleased with the color palette for this cake - so Wayne Thiebaud, no? - and my husband's co-workers said it was delicious. The cake was vanilla spice (Trader Joe's mix jazzed up with Penzey's Cake Spice) with lemon curd filling; the icing was classic buttercream.

Kate Spade "Off to the Opera" outfit

Kate Spade "Off to the Opera" outfit, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Long time, no see, or rather, no post. My apologies. Have been reading a lot, practicing for my upcoming cabaret performance, & trying not to wilt in Baltimore's infamous summer humidity, which arrived late this year but is making up for lost time. And what always accompanies the steamiest August days? Why, pictures of fall clothes, of course! This outfit, from the Kate Spade website, has me longing for lower temperatures. Besides the fact that it's named "Off to the Opera", I adore this look for its tailored lines and sense of fun. I'd wear this in a heartbeat and am already trying to figure out how to re-create it with pieces from my closet.

Oakenshawe Antiques, 7-18-09

Oakenshawe Antiques, 7-18-09, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

We spent this afternoon vintage-shopping in Hampden & loved this window/sidewalk display at Oakenshawe Antiques. Oakenshawe hasn't always carried vintage clothing, but they've always had great furniture, housewares, & jewelry at good prices. I found a wonderful, never-worn petticoat to wear under evening gowns for $16. The sign in this picture sums up exactly how we felt about our hometown today. Lots of people love to run the city down, & it certainly has its problems (unfortunately, we've experienced its violent streak firsthand.) For us, though, the good still outweighs the bad.

I have noticed one very positive trend in the city this summer: many people are dressing better, even on weekend afternoons. We saw lots of women in cute sundresses today, & many guys looked good, too, sporting fun madras shorts & simple tees. Even better, there was nary a pair of Crocs in sight. I don't think today was an aberration... we've noticed people making more of a sartorial effort when we've gone to the Fells Point Flea Market, too. Maybe there's hope for Baltimore fashion. If we could just get jeans banned from the Meyerhoff & Lyric, & from restaurants where dinner for 2 costs over $100... I can dream, can't I?

A very Miami dessert - chocolate cake with coconut buttercream icing.

palm tree cake, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I'm taking a cake decorating class (Wilton, Course 1.) Here's my first attempt at a fancy cake. Since we went to Maui on our honeymoon & love going to the beach in Miami, I decided to do a palm tree design. The icing colors definitely remind me of the Art Deco district in South Beach!

I had a terrible time with crumbs showing through the icing, but a couple of the women in my class said the little flecks remind them of sand. Our instructor said I should have used more icing. What? More buttercream? No problem! The palm tree design is a stencil I found online (yay, Google!) You trace the design onto wax paper & then go over the outline (though not on the pencil marks, use the reverse side) with a wonderful goo called piping gel. Then, you flip the design over onto the iced cake & use a small brush to get the outline to transfer. Following that, you're ready to fill in the outline with your tinted buttercream.

At next week's class, we'll attempt to make buttercream icing roses... watch this space for the results!

Dining room, July 11, 2009

Dining room, July 11, 2009, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

We love going out, but we also enjoy entertaining & want to do more of it. I'm addicted to china & glassware, especially vintage stuff, & have amassed quite a collection over the years. What's the point in owning beautiful things if they only see the light of day a few times per year? With that in mind, we had friends over for dinner last night & pulled out the "good" china & our nicest stemware. The meal was simple - tzatziki, veggies, & sea salt/black pepper crisps to start, then salad, bread & grilled things (the boys had burgers, the girls chose tuna steaks,) and sorbet with chocolate-port drizzle for dessert. We had after-dinner drinks on the deck, & it's amazing how good even a Baltimore alley looks when you're sipping a delicious liqueur in good company. From a vintage etched cordial glass, of course.