Posts Tagged ‘1970s’

As the two crafty dames are soon to pop over to Tasmania and Melbourne for extended adventures in retail, craft and cuisine (with obliging fiance and sister in tow), I wanted to get together a gaggle of our most fabulous arty friends for a leisurely Saturday luncheon. Imagine my delight, the planets seemed to align and all 7 of us were able to attend! Tina, Trish, Alison, Debbie and Ellenmary joined Carly and I for a lovely afternoon filled with giggles and gossip, fueled with champagne and yummy food.

We chatted about all the usual things, the roaring success of the Food for Thought exhibition, and planning lots of other fun events like establishing a “crafternoon” or studio circle, and working on a pop-up shop concept for Kalgoorlie. (Watch this space)! On hearing about the two crafty dames, the eyes of our party collectively lit up and offered us lots of encouragement to create beauteous retro themed garments and accessories, including a few pre-orders! Prolific artist and all-round fabulous dame Trish Little was particularly incensed and said she had just the thing for us– a swag of fabrics she had been hanging on to and had never quite got round to turning into something new… Who could resist?!

The swatch on the right is actually from a beautifully cut dress waifish Trish wore in the 70′s. With a sharply tapered waist and box pleated a-line skirt, it would be a shame to cut up this beauty… Carly insists it wouldnt fit her but I am not so sure!

We joined Trish for a cup of tea this afternoon and she gave us the grand tour of her lovely 1950s style home and wonderful light-filled studio. A feast for the eyes, with lovely details everywhere you look; artworks collected from friends and her travels, and of course her own artwork, ranging from mixed media framed pieces to gorgeously vibrant and vibrantly gorgeous hand woven floor rugs (I want one – it would go perfectly with the violent orange carpet in my living room). Trish admitted that all of the furniture in the house was bought second hand and lovingly restored – partly from determined thriftiness while simultaneously raising a young family and studying – and partly from not finding any new furniture she liked at reasonable prices. I was particularly taken with the dining table chairs that were repainted fire engine red and re-upholstered (by trish) in a gorgeous brightly patterned fabric. Suddenly my good ol’ Herman chairs from IKEA lost their appeal when compared with these revitalised beauties. (I can feel a home decor project coming on…)

It was a real treat to be invited into Trish’s studio, where she proceeded a show-and-tell of her latest artworks, and the fabrics she was not yet ready to part with! Finally she unveiled the swag of retro florals she had been carefully squirreling away…. some she had regifted from other friends, others were garments from another time, some were suprising finds from poky fabric shops estate sales. All of them fabulous! Thank you Trish, we look forward to revamping our regifted retro fabrics into new creations! x

Clearly Scandinavian, this Anenome flower print was designed in Finland
(no, not a Marimekko design!)

I cant remember exactly where I first read this quote but as soon as I did, it was love!

“I love to eat, and I love to eat healthily. I love pasta. I love starch. Everything I am, I owe to spaghetti!” SOPHIA LOREN

This watercolour, ink and coloured pencil tribute celebrates Sophia and her relationship with food as a fabulous example for young women. Ave Sophia!

“Sophia” by Paula Fletcher, 2010
Inks, Coloured Pencil on Watercolour Paper

As anyone who knows me will attest, my absolute favourite food in the whole wide world is pasta. I could happily eat it every day, and have been that way since I was very small. (Nothing beats Mum’s spaghetti bolognese…) So as soon as I read this quote on Sophia Loren, it launched a love affair with this strong, sexy female role model.

I didnt know a great deal about Sophia before, only that she was this bombastic Italian screen siren from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. After doing a little more reading I found out she stood at a towering 5′ 8½” (1.74 m) with ultra-curvy measurements of 38C-24-38. In fact she cut such an impressive figure that many male actors refused to work with her, saying she was too brash, too ballsy… and just plain intimidating! In one film the production crew had to dig a trench alongside her male co-star for Sophia to trundle along next to him in a beach scene- all to make Sophia look more petite than her leading man! Have you ever heard such a thing…?!

I found this great article on the Daily Mail UK website where Sophia talks candidly about her diet in comparison to modern starlets of the screen and catwalk. I found it inspiring that someone revered as a sex symbol by men and women alike has such a relaxed and healthy approach to food and diet, and is not afraid to make friends with food. For so long we have been told the carbohydrates are the ENEMY and here is the gorgeous Sophia Loren saying it is perfectly fine (in fact, encouraged) to enjoy carb-laden foods like pasta. She even recites one of her favourite pasta recipes to the interviewer. What a woman!

Lovely cherry tomatoes and marjoram, fresh from the garden

Speaking of recipes, here is my FAVOURITE way to eat pasta, with just a simple sauce made with good olive oil. I first made this dish when presented with a big container full of plump cherry tomatoes that were overflowing from Carly’s vegetable patch. After cooking enough pasta for one (I think this recipe actually works better with spaghetti of the dried kind), just heat up a saucepan on high heat and douse it with generous lashings of lovely cold pressed olive oil. Take enough cherry or grape tomatoes to fit in your cupped hands and halve the toms with a sharp knife, add these to the hot oil with one clove of crushed garlic (must be fresh). Add a generous pinch of sea salt flakes to bring out that lovely tomatoey flavour. Reduce the heat and sweat the tomatoes and garlic, squish the tomatoes against the sides of the saucepan using an egg slice/spatula to squeeze out the tomato pulp and juices. Simmer for a couple of minutes and then turn off the heat, toss the sauce through the cooked spaghetti with a handful of fresh herbs, my current favourite is basil but you can also use marjoram for a nice variation. Add some fresh or dried chili flakes if you like, and serve with cheese- parmesan is ok but I love to indulge with a small handful of bocconcini (baby mozarella)! Mmmmmmm… mangiare! Buon Appetito!