I’ve been spending the last couple of weeks in Cincinnati, Ohio working at Frontgate catalog drawing layouts. What a joy to be able sketch all day. Over the weekend I went to the Burlington Antique Show. Found some lace, postcards, frames and 2 victorian photo albums . . . can’t wait to use them in my books.

I am working a freelance job in Ohio and got to visit the Dayton Art Institute. What a great museum and it’s free to get in! The highlight was a film that Salvador Dali made with Disney . . .  a must see!

On our way home from Tarpon Springs we stopped at Florida Southern College to see the buildings that Frank Lloyd Wright designed. All of the buildings are connected by a walkway. The church was interesting with it’s glowing glass blocks of color.

After visiting my friend Elsie in Sarasota, Florida Michael and I headed for Tarpon Springs. It is a Greek town known for sponge diving. Established in 1905 it has the worlds largest supply of sponges harvested from the ocean. Of course I had to buy one. It’s amazing how soft and fluffy it is once you wet it and it will last for 10 years so they say. We had good food at Hellas, Lime-n-Coconut and Currents Restaurants. Downtown Tarpon Springs is filled with antique stores. My big find for the day was a 12×15 Victorian embossed sketch journal for only $8. Also loved the little shop on Athens Street called Sponge Diver Supply. It was refreshingly modern and hip compared to the rest of the shops by the sponge docks. The guy who owns it designed all of the graphics on the clothes and even took the photographs displayed on the postcards.

My friend Elsie exhibits her fashion illustrations from the 1950’s through the 1980’s. This one is my favorite. During my visit I photographed some of her work. My major in college was also fashion illustration. Gone are the days.

Elsie Diana in 1948

Elsie Diana and Suzanne Woodie, September 2009, during my visit to see my dear friend Elsie who I adopted as my Connecticut Mom in the 1980’s when I lived in Hartford, Connecticut. Elsie and I were both layout designers for G.Fox Department Stores.

I love this photo that I just finished retouching. Does it not look like it should be in a magazine? It is of Aubra Hoppers looking cool and relaxed.

I am thinking of my Mom day and how much I miss her. Today is her Birthday. There’s so many things I wish I could ask her. Especially now that I am doing my family history. Like did she make this dress she is wearing in the above photo. Where was she going? What year was the photo taken? Are the flowers on the dress real? Wish I had that handbag. I wonder what happen to it? I may not have all the answers, but I am grateful to have this photo and all the happy memories of my Mom. For all of you whose Mothers and Grandmothers are still alive . . . take out those old photos and have them tell you their stories. And please write it down and put it in a binder along with the photos.

Today I am meeting my friend Christa and her Mom for lunch to give Christa the birthday present I made her. When Christa was in college she did a study abroad program in Japan. The album that she had used was one of the magnetic page photo albums. These are so bad for your photos. She hired me to replace this album for a better one. But I decided it would make a great present for her birthday. For those of you who have your photos in magnetic page photo albums please dispose of them. The magnetic pages which are made out of thick paper stock, coated with glue and covered with clear mylar plastic will ruin your photos. The acid in the glue deteriorates the photos and the mylar seals in the acidic fumes. Please do not let your precious photos get ruined.

Just finished designing this layout. I took the old letter below, removed the original words in photoshop and used it in my design. The original letter is part of my family history. We found documents that had Hungarian seals on them. I always thought that side of the family was from Austria. But this 4 page letter I am told is written in Windish. Windish? What’s Windish? I had never heard the word Windish before. I am told that it is an area located in what today is currently Slovenia, and what was formerly mostly the region of Carniola in the former Kingdom of Austria. The letter is from my great grandfather Janos Brodnyan’s sister telling him that there was a fire and that they lost everything. If anyone out there knows how to translate the Windish language please contact me at suzannecreates@comcast.net.