Why Burlap?

So, why burlap? It brings memories of my childhood. September, the harvest season. Farmers coming to town to the local market with potatoes, onions, cabbage, carrots, amazing apples, and beautiful flower bouquets. Trucks and horses are everywhere, farmers calling in every buyer and showing up their potatoes. My dad goes to the market and buys 8-10 burlap sacks of potato for the winter season for us and for my aunt Molly's family. When the potato sacks are finally delivered to our apartment, we helped my mother to assemble them in the kitchen cabinet. First, we have to remove the two lower shelves, then the side walls we would cover with wood, and after the new facility arrangements, we would be ready to remove the potatoes from the sacks. The potato sacks will become useful to care woods for the fire stove as soon as the cold weather will hit us later, in the fall. The smell of the fresh potatoes and burlap sacks is a smell of the childhood that brings back the memories.

Burlap Texture

Burlap is a material that is made out of the bast family of fibers. Bast fibers represent a family of vegetable fibers which run the length of the plant stem. They are found in the inner bark of plants. The texture of burlap comes from the fact that it is made from the skin of the jute plant - one of the least expensive textile crops in the world, and one of the strongest.

Burlap: History of Textile

Burlap is a fine quality jute fabric that has been long used as the most preferred packaging material for all kinds of goods. Burlap meets the latest international standards for food safety. Burlap also known as Hessian, a plain woven fabric, made of good jute yarn. Burlap is used in wide range of applications. It is all 'about being able to look good in a burlap sack.'
"Burlap is probably as old as Moses," - Emilio Sosa.

Snow and Stars

"To confuse snow with stars,
Simulate a star's fantastic wisdom."
(From "Too Easy: to Write of Miracles," by Denise Levertov)

Malukhiyah Dish

The Malukhiyah has been known as a popular dish in Egypt since the time of the Pharaohs, and later spread to the Levant. The leaf is a common food in many tropical West African countries. It is believed that the "drip tips" on the leaves serve to shed excess water from the leaf from the heavy tropical rains. It is called Kren-Kre in Sierra Leone, and is eaten in a palm oil sauce served with rice or cassava fufu, or is steamed and mixed into rice just before eating a non-palm oil sauce.

About the Trees

"You can hug a tree or a tree can embrace you." (IT)

All About Burlap

I would like to invite you to purchase the new book offered by Ida Tomshinsky on history of textile. The book's title speaks for itself - it is all "About Being able to Look GOOD in a Burlap Sack." This book is about natural magic -burlap, a nature's gift to civilization. It is a man-made textile creation given to us by a plant called jute. Burlap has many applications, and it is all 'about being able to look GOOD in a burlap sack.' The physical properties of burlap widely known as strength, weather resistance, and versatility. Burlap or jute Hessian cloth has a long-time history, great childhood memories of burlap in cloth and in bags from potato sacks to sophisticated tailoring in fashion design and smart interior designs and great craft home projects.
In addition, there are books from the History of Fashion Accessories Series about socks, gloves and the "Dairy of the Handkerchief" written by Florida author, Ida Tomshinsky. You never will look at your socks, gloves and other fashion accessories with the same attitudes.

Bird's School

It was a routine summer morning. I put my walking cloth on and went outdoors for the morning walk. You never know what will be the surprise of the day – you can always run into astonishing scenery. And this is why I cannot stop going to the His Majesty, The Ocean.

The quit morning and discolored sky covered with after and before the rain clouds that safeguarded the morning sun over the Atlantic Ocean. The water with white edged waves followed the southwest wind. I entered into the ‘bird’s school.’ There were about thirty small size sea-gulls standing in chess-board order very lineal. All in the same position turned away their little bodies and heads from the wind and waiting for the superior adult birds to bring them food in the beak. The ‘bird’s school’ was watched over by three or four adult sea-gulls that looked and found the bird food for the youngsters from the sand and the water.

Somebody passed by closely, and the little birds very synchronously flied up with their small wings that need time to grow and get strength to fly far away the same way as their parents, teachers, or guardians.

Summer Heat

A flower, a butterfly dance

Surrounded by green leaves,

Sun and few clouds at once

Make me appreciate the days and eves

Quiet mornings and spraying rain

Work so good with my mind and brain.

Thanks to freshmen year of Psychology course,

I appreciate the pathway of knowledge that rouse

With life-long days and minutes

Building momentous

Looking forward to what will happen next

Only the heart knows the best

Kindness and passion, and other non-paradox impossibility

As a shiny smile and happiness on a dull day

Create happiness and delighters may possibly

Cross the road as astray

There is a strong verse in the universe

Rhyming of cause

Because despite the oz

I am describing my summer pose

My eleven-day expedition

Shows my position

Every minute of it

Is a story with a heart beat

The summer heat

Has that satisfaction bit,

The mystery of unknown

That is an honor to own.

When you Cannot Get Enough of Art

The National Gallery of Art in Washington features works of greatest masters of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present, including Leonardo da Vinci, Vermeer, Titian, el Greco, Rembrandt, Rubens, Manet, Van Gogh, Cezanne and Picasso, not to mention a wealth of American paintings and an expanding array of photography and contemporary art.The Gallery's collection reflects centuries of achievement in sculpture and the decorative and graphic arts.
Check it out, you will find quality and satisfaction to see the art treasures. I did!

Crespine

Crespine made the appearance at the end of the thirteen century. It was some kind of hairnet and had some innovation element, as in the Miggle Ages to show female hair considered to be immoral.
The crespine was a vertical item that plaited on each side of the face. In the 14th century, the veil reappared, but in new form as a 'nebula' headdress, made of a half-circle of linen framing the face.
In the contrast to the kerchief that was worn on the neck, rounded 'nebula' headdress, was framing the face in a square frame.
Also, in the end of te 14th century the was a cushion-headdress, what had some kind of padded roll worn over the hairnet. Sometimes this was pushed to extreme. The horn headdress came about 1410 with a structure called the "horn-of-a-cow" on which was draped the veil, followed by sausage-shaped roll of padded material forming a narrow U over the forehead.

Motivational

Success means action,
Determination and dedication!
School activity
Means creativity!
Try not to quit, just come upon
Bumping in and leading on.
Day-to-day battling -
Successful people keep rousing
And going ahead
With creative hands
And knowledge-heads
By learning new things,
Everybody able to follow the dreams,
And apply job-oriented skills
From start, at the LRC orientation,
Followed by research and materials variation,
To digital portfolio preparation.

History of Shorts

We are wearing shorts in Miami a lot. But what is the history behind them? Perhaps the tradition came from sport activities.
Sports in 1920s made an influence on bathing costumes. Tennis players worn the summer clothes of this period. In April 1931, Senorita de Alvarez played tennis in divided skirts which came to slightly below the knee, and two years later Alice Marble of San Francisco appeared in shorts above the knee.
And Mrs. Fearnley-Whittingstall appeared at Wimbledon without stockings. This uproar by public, but was soon adopted by majority of women-players.
Cycling, although contributed to the fact that young women adopted shorts, sometimes so short that opposition made expressions when English cycling clubs went abroad.

On Friendship

"Being a good friend, and having a good friend, can enrich your days and bring you life-long satisfaction. But friendship don't just happen. They have to be created and nurtured. Like any other skill, building friendship has to be practiced."

Sue Browder

206 Bones?

We count on our body every day! Bones are holding our skin together. Our muscles help us to move and our nerves will tell us what hurts. There are 206 bones in our body!

• 54 bones in our hands and wrists
• 52 bones in our feet and ankles
• 106 bones in hands and feet make the majority of the bones in our entire body

We have 606 muscles in our body, and we use 200 muscles to take a simple step! It doesn't matter whether it's a giant step or a baby step. Our muscles make up about one-half of the body weight. The essential part of our muscles is our heart!

"May Morning" by John Milton

Now the bright morning star, day's harbinger,
Comes dancing from the east, and leads with her
he flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose.
Hail, bounteous May! that doth inspire
Mirth and youth and warm desire;
Woods and groves are of thy dressing,
Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing.
Thus we salute thee with our early song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.

Poetry Society and More

Poetry Society seams as something from past century, perhaps Victorian era's culture. But in reality, there are seven years of Poetry Society outreach activities in a small size technical school still going strong. Every year we discovering new talents and every years there are new participants that are brave enough to share their private thought and let us in to read their rhymes and to listen to their dreams and hopes. The secret is that everybody can be a member of the Poetry Society. Paper and pen - all you need to explore and discover new possibilities in self-expressions. In reality, a historic document, a current moment, a photo, an audio recording or a video clip provides literary food for creativity. And in the end, it is a pleasure to collect, preserve and acknowledge the "contesters"' work because the Poetry Society is not dead.

Donate Your Old Race T-Shirts

The Bradenton Runners Club of Florida donates race T-shirts to Hope Family Services, a local organization that provides shelter for victims of domestic violence. Many individuals enter the shelter with nothing more than the cloths they are wearing.

Chicagoland Head-Huggers is one of the not-for-profit organization founded by a breast cancer survivor that accepts donations of unused race T-shirts and crafts them into scarves for cancer patients. The soft, 100 percent cotton shirts make a perfect coverings for the bald heads of patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Leaves and Men

As is the generation of leaves, so too of men:
At one time the wind shakes the leaves to the ground,
but the flourishing woods
Gives birth, and the reason of spring comes into existence
So it is of the generations of men, which alternately
come forth and pass away.

(Homer, Iliad)

Red Berries or Fruits and Literature

Why red strawberries were used in the handkerchief's decorative ornamentation? It has been suggested that Elizabethan painters subscribed to the idea that, since strawberries are red berries or fruits, they epitomize pleasure-seeking and sexual desire.
No wonder that that the white silk handkerchief in Shakespeare's "Othello, The Moore of Venice," was spotted with red strawberries that were hand stitched with treads that has been dyed with blood from "maiden hearts' - the virgin's blood!
The handkerchief, a small fashion accessory item, is the most dominated symbol that circulates throughout the play. A small object cares out such an enormous weight in the story of small incidents as a symbol of evidence and proofs of love and betrayal.

Lily of the Valley

The Lily of the valley flowers are especially popular in France and are found as a wild woodland plant throughout Europe. They were not considered a garden plant until the 16th century. Since Renaissance period, May Lily has been considered to bring good luck.
Because of the beauty of the flower, it delicate sweet flagrance, and rich history of traditions, there are wide variety of style of Lily of the valley handkerchiefs. Often they will be trimmed with lace. There are many embroidered designs, both with with and colored embroidery.
Sometimes, the the lily spray will be incorporated with a pair of wedding rings. The printed Lily of the valley handkerchiefs are most striking and a red one would be the hardest to find. Blue, of course, is very popular due to ladies wanting of "something blue" for their wedding day.

Poem by Delmira Agustini (1886-1914)

"Debout sur mon orgueil je veux montrer au soil
L'envers de mon manteau endeuille de tes charmes,
Son moucoir infini, son mouchoir et noir,
Trait a trait, doucement, boira toutes mes larmes."

Debout Sur Mon Orgueil Je Veux Montrer Au Soir by Delmira Agustini (1886-1914)

Dear Fabric Lovers,

The square piece of fabric is a long-time companion of ladies and gentlemen. It always was a tool, merely, of mingling of hearts and minds that clearly communicated its image and action, or even a feeling in a poetic way that resonates on a deeper level. Playful and vivid, and yet practical object with lace or without them continues to fascinate as a golden standard of the fashion accessory, a firm representative of culture, tradition, and history itself. Simple, and yet profound. Specific in time and place, yet universal in its emotional contest of tears, and in its themes of respect for human nature to sweat, and, even, dramatized with stains of blood.

Please embrace the new book entitle "Diary of the Handkerchief" by Ida Tomshinsky,
ISBN 978-1-4691-8006-9 Order Today!
To order call 888-795-4274 ext. 7879, order online at www.xlibris.com

Enjoy the reading!

New book

The new book "Diary of the Handkerchief" by Ida Tomshinsky, ISBN 978-1-4691-8006-9, is ready and available in the local bookstores and online.
"The book is anything, but short or abstract. It is completed and fascinating and readable...
great story of art and history."
The author stood out as "a Fashion Librarian and a Researcher, a Fashion Historian and a Writer, and a Person who dearly cares about History of Fashion Accessories."
As any diary or journal it is motivational, inspirational, and educational. There are Note spaces for personal thoughts and drawings. Great addition to any Library Collection!

"Horses at Midnight without a Moon" by Jack Gilbert

Our heart wanders lost in the dark woods.
Our dream wrestles in the castle of doubt.
But ther's music in us. Hope is pushed down
but the angel flies up again taking us with her.
The summer morning begin inch by inch
while we sleep, and walk with us later
as long-legged beauty through
the dirty streets. It is no surprise
that danger and suffering surround us.
What astonishes is the singing.
We know the horses are there in the dark
meadow because we can smell them,
can hear them breathing.
Our spirit persists like a man struggling
through the frozen valley
who suddenly smells flowers
and realizes the snow is melting
out of sight on top of the mountain,
knows that spring has begun.
"Houses Midnight without a Moon" by Jack Gilbert,
Copyright 2012. From Collected Poems, published by Alfred A. Knopf

Da Vinci and Drafting and Design Program

When Da Vinci drafted a flying machine in Italy in the late 1400s people were applied. "Who needs this?" - people asked. Not until after 1903 in the United States, when Orville and Wilbur Wright conducted the first flight, did people see the possibilities. It was a mechanical drafter, Octave Chanute, who offered biplane glider designs to the Wright brothers. Especially important to Chanute's design was the curved top of the biplane's wings, which allowed the plane to achieve flying; a design that proved revolutionary.
In today's world of technology, drafters interpret the work of engineers every day to give form to several important tools, objects and components in manufacturing and construction.

"Diary of the Handkerchief" by Ida Tomshinsky

From the author on the new book entitled "Diary of the Handkerchief" within the History of Fashion Accessories Series -

"The square piece of fabric is a long-time companion f ladies and gentlemen. It always was a tool, merely, of mingling of hearts and minds that clearly communicated its image and action , or even a feeling in a poetic way that resonated on a deeper level. Playful and vivid, and yet practical object with lace or without them continues to fascinate as a golden standard of the fashion accessory, a firm representative of culture, tradition, and history itself. Simple, and yet profound. Specific in time and place, yet universal in its emotional content of tears, and in its themes of respect for human nature to sweat, and, even, dramatized with stains of blood."

Scientific Utopia

Florida, August 2048,
Mainstream organic robotic interface mirth.
Twenty-first mid-century Earth
And the Black Galaxy giving birth

To settlements on Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars
Rebuilding ruined ecosystems by flying space cars.
Genetic arts and bionetwork success
Contributed to the scientific utopia mess.

Disorder, confusion, and mandatory labor
Empowered by political leaders in favor.
Sample model from pre-industrial society
Busted up the human-a-like morality.

“I guess I will dive into the wreck
To the darkness in the spaceship derelict
To research the secrets from the past
X-rayed with modern radars.”

Group of marvelous teens, green as elves,
Very loyal to themselves
And the code they invent,
Inside, outside and online exploring the newest trend

Information in the Sci-Fi blend wrath
Of fantasy and detection within benchmarked path
And an epic century-long journey,
Imaginary fantasy, hunted in dreams, and very earthy.

Really, what will happen after half-century change?
Probably, something outrage and very strange.
Perhaps, there will be vital and vibrant teen space
And virtual lights will keep the blues of social path

Keep away dirty minds from the red button.
Don’t leave the future to the Satan!
Don’t make our planet rotten!
Turns on another question:

Who decides what it means to be human?
Here comes a new topic on humanity and men.
This one is not from utopia.
This one is from human philanthropy, dah!
Spontaneous, unpredictable
Taking over the brain and mind
Clicking evolution with visual effects
And social affects

In apps currency
That created the speed efficiency
Information security reviews
Computer forensics preventing intrudes

Copyright commodities
Plus twenty-eight percent royalties
Good, bad, and ugly
Web-based control systems vary

Empowering givers and users
Transforming communities of savvies
On the digital map
By a simple clap

Many clouds,
No brain, no rain –
“This is worse to try
Diving in the digital sky!”


Ida Tomshinsky © 2009-2012

Few Cold Winter Days in Tropics

The day is ending
The night is descending
Northern wind dominants
From the winter lands
Through clouds like ashes
The sun flashes
Freeze, freeze, through bitter sky –
In the frosty night
Brings dear delights
Of the long, long nights

Classic Cross-Stitch

What a wonderful hobby! Let's begin exclusive designs for gifts and collections by stitching!
Needlework is a keepsake to pass from generation to generation.
Red hearts for Valentine's Day is a tribute to stitching skills talent and a rewarding activity for long winter evenings.
The most commonly used the following stitches -

• Basic cross-stitch


• Cross-stitch variations such as quarter, half, and three-quarter are often used to form shapes within a design


• Back stitch


• Beginning thread


• Ending thread


• French knots


• Lazy daisy stitch


• Stem stitch

A variety of small motifs and an easy-to-stitching gift bags, tags, clothing trims and more. Personal messages and names are easy to graph with alphabet letters. Great fun for the beginners, too!

Beautification

The way how we dress often supplement - or even replaced -by various kinds of body decorations such as tattoos, piercing and make up. Historically, the designs used for painting, tattoos, and scarification were often symbolic or magical.
By 18th century, in Europe and America, women's body shapes were most dramatically changed by wearing hoops and panniers, and padding over the the bottom called "false rumps." Men used padded calves to make their legs look better in breeches, and men and women slimmed their waists with stays.
Both men and women used a toxic paste of white lead to whiten the face, then reddened their cheeks and lips. Eyebrows were carefully trimmed into shape or, in some cases, shaved off and replaced with fake eyebrows made of mouse fur.
Patches made of black silk or velvet in many shapes were worn on the face to highlight the beauty of pale skin. They were probably used originally to hide smallpox scars.
In 1770 a law was passed in England to punish women who lured men into marriage by using too many false aids, such as wigs, make up and padding to make themselves look more beautiful than they really were.

"Somewhere-Anywhere" by Sheila Elias

Sheila Elias is an artist, and the book entitled "Somewhere-Anywhere" is a collective artist's work with analyses and commentaries. "Somewhere-Anywhere" could be at any place and at any time. The uniqueness of her art work reflects on the post-modern condition that only a woman with her eye on urban neighborhoods and local communities can tell us a visual story in layers of emotions and colors on a daily life events that are "somewhere and anywhere." The flying human figures are messengers of hope and imaginary dream that could happen somewhere.

National EnGineering Week

It was announced a long-time ago about the National Engineering Week in February 19 to 25. So, it is coming soon. In the past blogs, it was slightly touched the surface of the unexpected connection in the dual attraction, the romance between modern technology and the cookery slang.
Today, let's imaging the classic Barbie doll acting as a 'career girl.' The Computer Engineering Barbie doll took a big place in my heart since her birthday on the winter day in 2010. Such a potential for girls to dream about leadership in technology, electronic engineering, and surroundings of computer technology!
So, keep in mind it, and let's us celebrate the capital 'G' in EnGineering standing for girls in engineering field. I know a very special lady with a PhD in Engineering, and she is an everyday inspiration, and a joy to follow. Sorry ladies, Lady Gaga and Lady in Red, today we are not against the pretty looks; but we, as parents and friends, have great expectations for our growing up young spring in education, careers, professional development, because future is calling for girls in science and technology, computer and electronic engineering.

Poetry of Earth: Mini Essay

"The poetry of earth is never dead," wrote John Keats, and, indeed, it is nature, the poetry of earth, that brings beauty into our lives, that forces us to change our plans, that affects our moods.
Nature sets a sky aflame at sunset, magically transforms a familiar landscape into a snow-white wonderland at north, paints our beautiful seagrape dinner-plate round leaves with glow of bright yellow and red shades of colors in the south.
Her Majesty Nature responsible for the cold days, blustery winds, for rain storms, and the cruel heat of high summer days. Nature is truly an intrinsic part of our lives.

How privileged we are under laughing blue sky and the blue ocean sigh, and merry birds twittering to cheer the evergreen scenes so dear with delights of the long, long nights.
The azure hue makes the best philosophy untrue against the arrows of the coming sun.

Fast Customer Apps

No matter what kind of smartphone people own, there are literally hundreds of thousands of apps available!
I think that one of the best is the Fastcustomer app. Why? From the consumer point of view, it is an additional 'reference desk' information or a 'chat-a-life' service. Fastcustomer waits on hold for the patron. There are 2,000 customer-service numbers, then, once the app has reached an actual human representative, it connects the caller -assuming the person hasn't hung up in the meantime.

'Ice Cream Sandwich' !?

Ice Cream Sandwich is the newest iteration of the Android operating system. Previous versions include Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, and Honeycomb. At first it was cute!

Window Phone Mango is a Microsoft's Operational System. Runs on phones like HTC Radar and Samsung Omnia W and focuses much more on social media integration.

The Lexicon

Technology is something that might want to be aware of.
Silk is not only the beautiful shiny fabric that is great for a pocket square handkerchief, or a flattering blouse.
Silk has a different meaning in technology slang. Instead of bogging down the Kindle Fire with a limited mobile browser, Silk processes Web sites 'silky way' using Amazon's cloud servers before sending the fully loaded sites to the user.
And Siri responds to thousands of voice commands and questions from traffic to the wardrobe. Siri is creepy and frightening, but extremely helpful. Siri is the digital personal secretary you always dream to have -she'll type out entire texts or e-mails that you dictate. The old joke really allows to have a secretary who knows how to write and spells it correctly. But please, do not tell it to your second-grader or it is too late, and he or she already knew it since yesterday.

Each Year Brings Memories

Each year brings memories that bless our lives with joy.
Wishing you all the joy of pleasant memories and all the happiness, you all, so deserve!
Don't you?! It is time to create new memories, fulfill new dreams, and start a new annual plan!
Take it from a Librarian, "a good plan is 50% of successful resolution."
Collect your creative juices and begin the rejuvination. Catch the happy tears that will for sure flow during any special celebration of success "for luck and love and health and wealth and all good things for all of you." (iDA)