December 10, 1951! That really is the date on this drawing/note!!!!!
Barbara was my best friend and George was her most recent heart-break! I just realized the text of this would, most likely, get me into a great deal of trouble in this day and age. But, the ‘50s were not like that…..adults recognized made up stories with illustrations drawn by silly teenage girls, as just that.
Some of the irony of this…..I spent 25 years working in the newspaper business, not at the Oregonian and not in news, rather, in advertising sales and management but this note may have been a bit of a harbinger of my future.
My best friend, Barbara passed away five years ago! Making this a very sentimental piece on so many levels. Barbara and I shared all the angst and the joys of our teenage years. Oh! how important BFFs are, no matter, if we are young or old. Actually, Barbara was the one who saved this note for many years, returning it to me before her death.
You have to love my choice of stars to equate Barbara to……Gypsy Rose Lee (who may not have even been living in 1951) and Ava Gardner (was that before or after Frank Sinatra)! Also, glamorous women of the day would have smoked…using a cigarette holder was an added touch of sophistication, hahaha! I’m not sure why poor George wore a plaid jacket….maybe, that is what 1950’s playboys wore, at least, in my mind (I doubt I knew any REAL playboys at that time)!!! I, also, notice that George was “slayed”, not slain….maybe, that was better or maybe if I’d been listening instead of drawing……..!
Many of you who love to express yourself through art will relate to this….we have added drawings to notes since childhood. What I remember most about grade school is sitting in the back of the classroom….drawing clothes for paper dolls, mine and my friends! I cut pictures of models from catalogues and magazines then traced over them “designing” original fashions for my paper dolls. I had big dreams of being a “fashion designer” until I found out you would needed to know something about clothing construction……sorry, I wanted the easy, glamorous part of the job! I was a kid, what can I say.
I suspect that most of my blog readers were not born in 1951, so as they say….those were the days my friend! Hope you got a chuckle out this piece of my misspent youth!
Thanks for stopping by.
4 comments:
I had a good giggle over the letter you sent to your friend. How artistic you were even then! (I was born in 1958, so I'm not that far behind you.)
Isn't it something your friend had this letter all those years and then returned it to you? What a treasure.
I enjoyed the read! My dad was born in in 1950 and I was born in 1981 but still found it very amusing and touching that you have the letter after all of those years. Such a sentiment especially now.
PS. I love your quote in your profile! lol hope you don't mind but I copied it down as I would like to paint a plaque for my kitchen with it and this way no one can say they weren't warned! lol
This is great! I wish I'd kept some of my stories from my youth. All I have are my sordid memories; ahhhh, but weren't it grand!
I never drew images as a child, or as an adult, for that matter. Still don't doodle. But I sure like your misspent youth. It is wonderful to be able to reminisce like that, especially with evidence in hand.
BTW, you asked about my dyeing process. I start by placing the rusty metal on fabric, then I wrap the fabric around the metal. That makes it a double wrap. Then I add more metal and continue wrapping. I allow two wraps per piece of metal because you need more than just the front and back of the fabric to get exposed to the rust.
When I reach the end of the fabric, I simply fold it over at the edges, then lay the "package" in the plastic grocery bag. Think of the fabric as a "package" that is now wrapped neatly. Next I add the vinegar a small amount at a time until I am certain the fabric has been saturated. Finally, I tie the plastic bag, removing as much air as possible, and sit the bag in a sunny warm spot in my driveway. I hope that helped.
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