Steampunk Inspiration: Iola, KS

I'm inspired to create by so many things I encounter--especially architecture. On my many roadtrips with Rhys around the state and region, I continually discover new and beautiful buildings & remnants of buildings that give me new ideas. One such inspiration was on our recent roadtrip to Kansas City. We stopped in Iola, KS to take in their town square. We soon found out that the Allen County Courthouse which stood at the center of the square had been razed in 1959 and all that was left of it was the clock mechanism and clock face.

The sun was shining and it lit up the clock face so you could see the gears & mechanics through it. It was truly breathtaking.

I highly recommend the stop, it's well worth your time (pun intended).

Inspiring Inventions: The Can Opener

Ironically the can opener was invented 50 years after the idea of storing foods in cans. Before the can opener, you would open a can of food with a chisel and a hammer (and I imagine a lot of patience, and sincere love of peas)! The can opener was invented in 1858 by Ezra J. Warner, of Connecticut. Warner's can opener was a pointed blade with a "guard" attached--to keep the blade from penetrating too deeply into the can, along with a second blade. To open cans of food, you'd saw around the top. The parts of the can opener were nicknamed "the bayonet and the sickle."

Useful during the Civil War, Warner's can opener was used mostly in the Army and in grocery stores rather than individual homes. (Perhaps because of the can's jagged edge after "sawing" the top off.)

There were many iterations of the can opener through history:

• 1866 J. Osterhoudt invented the "unwinding" can--a can that opens itself. (Much like our modern pop-top or pull-tab cans.)
• 1870 William Lyman invented the rotary can opener with one sharp rolling wheel that cuts the rim of the can.
• 1925 The Star Can Co. of San Fransisco improved upon Lyman's design and added a second rolling wheel to allow for a smoother, steadier cut. This design is the can opener that is still widely used today (unless, of course, you use an electric one)!

Thanks to Ezra Warner, and many other inventors after him, for creating a wonderful, modern convenience.

Sunday in the Studio

It's been a lovely week & weekend topped off with a Sunday in the studio & puttering about the house. I hung the wonderful WWI propaganda poster Rhys & I bought in Kansas City while we were visiting the WWI Memorial Museum--a trip I highly recommend. It is a very well done museum and has a huge collection of propaganda posters from that time. (Propaganda posters from WWI & II fascinate me. I grew up with a Bread for Victory sign in my grandmother's kitchen.) I finished reading Over Tea by Terri St. Cloud, a book of poetry about sisterhood, friendship, and self--one of many gifts I received in a package from my best friend, Tiffany. There was one poem in particular that stuck out to me in the book--"Gratitude":

as she thought of her friend, she recalled hearing that "gratitude is the heart of prayer." she smiled, realizing her entire being was one big prayer at that moment. and her friend the reason for that prayer.

I am grateful to have such good fortune in all of my friendships, most of all for Tiffany's.

Today I also doctored some books I purchased yesterday at Holland Hall's Annual Book Sale. I found these gems for my own collection, and also 20 more that I am donating to a book drive at work.

If you're in the Tulsa area, please consider donating your new & gently used books. Here's a link with donation info.

Rhys and I got caught up on Serial, and while we were listening my hands were steadily making necklaces & earrings.

Of all the earrings I made today, I think I like these green beauties best. I rarely use traditional glass beads in my work but I couldn't resist these old beads. I love their soft green color and gold accents.

Not bad for a lazy Sunday! Until next time, happy crafting!

Junkin Tips & Tricks: 8

As always, Happy Junkin'so you can get to Steampunkin'!

Junkin Tips & Tricks: 7

As always, Happy Junkin'so you can get to Steampunkin'!

Junkin Tips & Tricks: 6

As always, Happy Junkin'so you can get to Steampunkin'!

Inspiring Inventions: Toothpaste Tube

Art inspires science in the history of the toothpaste tube! Before the 1850s "toothpaste" was not actually a paste but more commonly manufactured as a powder & included chalk as a main ingredient. Later in the 1850s, as other ingredients were added to toothpaste which gave it a consistency we're more familiar with today, manufacturers and dentists sold their toothpastes & powders in jars.

Many dentists, in fact, sold their own brands. One such dentist was Dr. Washington Sheffield of Connecticut who, is responsible for the invention of both toothpaste as we know it and the collapsible toothpaste tube. Sheffield got the idea on a trip in Paris with his son Lucius. They happened upon painters who were squeezing paints from collapsible tubes. Sheffield then devised a tube for his own ready-made toothpaste to distribute to his patients.

He created another common dental product that we still use today--mouthwash, or "elixir balm" as he called it.

After perfecting his ready-made paste by adding mint to it, in the mid-1870s Dr. Sheffield began his own manufacturing company called Sheffield Dentifrice Co. to produce the popular ready-made toothpaste and balms.

Sources:

• "History of Toothbrushes & Toothpastes," www.colgateprofessional.com

Junkin Tips & Tricks: 5

As always, Happy Junkin'so you can get to Steampunkin'!

Inpsiring Inventions: The Telegraph

Thanks to the telegraph, smoke-signals, drum beats, marathon runners, and Pony Express riders on horseback-all inhibited by weather, distance, and geography-were no longer the sole means of communicating across country.

The telegraph revolutionized communication, and while its demise came with the invention of the telephone and the radio, it paved the way for many inventions.

The telegraph itself is basic: "a key, a battery, wire, a line of poles between stations, and a receiver."

http://player.history.com/pservice/embed-player/?siteId=hist&tPid=21136643

Video courtesy of History.com

Here's a brief history of the telegraph:

• 1832-36 Samuel Morse, Leonard Gale, and Alfred Vail develop the telegraph which "worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations."
• 1830s Morse, with Vail, develops a code that "assigned a set of dots and dashes to each letter of the English alphabet and allowed for the simple transmission of complex messages" across long distances.
• 1837 Morse files a patent for the telegraph!
• 1843 Morse & Vail receive funding from U.S. Congress to test their telegraph system.
• 1844 The very first message was sent via the telegraph. It read: "What hath God wrought!"--something that Vail often said to Morse.
• 1845 A small group of investors purchased a license from Morse, Vail, & Leonard for the telegraph for $15,000. They formed The Magnetic Telegraph Company (later known as Western Union).
• 1846 The first commercial telegraph line was completed. It ran from Washington, D.C. to New York City.
• 1860 U.S. Congress passed The Pacific Telegraph Act approving the construction of a transcontinental telegraph line (in part because of the looming Civil War).
• 1861 Western Union laid the first transcontinental telegraph line!
• 1866 The first permanent telegraph cable was laid across the Atlantic Ocean with help from the U.S. Navy vessel the "Niagara."
•  1874 Thomas Edison made an improvement to the telegraph. Edison introduced the "Quadraplex system, which allowed for 4 messages to be transmitted simultaneously using the same wire."
• 1906 S.O.S. (..._ _ _...) is established as the worldwide emergency signal of distress. While S.O.S. was not an abbreviation of a saying, it was chosen for being easy to remember and differentiate, in popular usage, it came to mean "Save Our Ship," "Save Our Souls," and "Send Out Succor." The most famous S.O.S. message sent was by the R.M.S. Titanic on April 14, 1912 when it hit an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. and then sank.

The telegraph  was a truly remarkable invention STOP

Sources:

"Morse Code & The Telegraph" on History.com

Historywired.si.edu 

Junkin Tips & Tricks: 4

As always, Happy Junkin'so you can get to Steampunkin'!

Notable Women: Mary Anderson

There are many inventions we use everyday thanks to great minds. One such mind is that of Mary Anderson who invented the windshield wiper! The National Inventors Hall of Fame notes that while Anderson, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, was "touring the city of New York in a trolley car on a snowy day in the early 1900s. [Mary] conceived of her idea of a windshield wiper blade that could be operated from the inside by the trolley driver." Mary patented her invention in 1903.

In 1905, she tried to sell the rights to her invention, but she was rejected because it was not considered of "commercial value" to manufacturers (as the automotive industry had not yet skyrocketed). Her patent expired 1920, and only 2 years later Cadillac became the first car manufacturer to include windshield wipers among a car's standard equipment.

Mary was successful, despite not profiting from her invention; she managed an apartment building in Birmingham and a cattle ranch and vineyard in California.

Mary Anderson's design for the windshield wiper is the basic one we use today (with some modern adjustments along the way). In fact several patents for reinvented windshield wipers are filed each year. From 2010 to now, there were a staggering 390 alone!

While there are no doubt many tweaks, adjustments, and reinventions--thanks to Mary Anderson we all drive safer because of her marvelous invention!

Sources:

Dashka Slater, "Who made the windshield wiper?" NY Times Magazine.

"Mary Anderson." The National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Inspiring Inventions: The Singer Sewing Machine

The Singer Sewing Machine is mistakenly thought of as the first sewing machine for domestic use. However, Elias Howe (inventor & machinist), not Issac Singer, is the father of the sewing machine. On Sept. 10, 1846 Elias Howe's patent for the first sewing machine was granted. Howe's sewing machine had a "needle with the eye at the point, a shuttle operating beneath the cloth to form the lock stitch, and an automatic feed." At first, the general public, and tailors especially, were skeptical of his machine. It was rudimentary and not without its flaws.

It was Singer whose tweaks and adjustments that improved the machine who was able to sway the American public.

While it may not have been the first sewing machine invented, it was the first standardized technology to be mass marketed. Singer Sewing Machines were sold door-to-door and were promoted by Issac Singer, their manufacturer, as a way to free women from laborious and time-consuming hand sewing.

It was also widely successful. In the United States alone in 1896 between 600,000-700,000 sewing machines were sold. International consumption of American sewing machines generated $67,000,000 dollars from 1865-1895!

Machine-History.com says it best: "In the whole field of invention it would be difficult to find a device which has...brought gold to the rich, good wage to the worker, and best of all, sadly needed rest to weary fingers and aching eyes in many a cottage and garret."

On a personal note, Singer Sewing Machines are dearly cherished in my family. I inherited mine from my Great Aunt Mary. I think of her every time I use it. Each of us (me, my siblings and cousins) grew up learning to sew on our mom's and grammy's laps. Those memories are close to my heart, just as the many beautiful sewn items made by them are.

Happy National Pie Day!

Happy Nat'l Pie Day! I love pies, both eating them & baking them. To relax my eyes from taking apart tiny things I bake & cook.

I also bake to have fun. For our wedding, I wanted to gather all of the ladies I love in my kitchen and bake pies for the next day with them. A little crazy, I'll admit but it was such a blast. I will have the memory of dancing around, laughing, and baking pies for a lifetime.

I'd love to share some of my favorite recipes with you.

Download my fun pie recipe cards below!

Junkin Tips & Tricks: 3

As always, Happy Junkin'so you can get to Steampunkin'!

Notable Women: Elizabeth Magie

Much like our notable woman of last week, Elizabeth Magie has been written out of history and her accomplishment & legacy nearly erased from public knowledge. Elizabeth, or Lizzie as she was more often called, was an American game designer now best known for creating a beloved game, Monopoly--or as she called it "The Landlord's Game." Magie patented her game in 1904.

Early in her life, Lizzie was inspired and invigorated by the economic philosophy of Henry George. George's philosophy was one with equality at its core. Georgists, like Lizzie, believed that "economic value derived from land, including natural resources and natural opportunities, [and] should belong to all residents of a community, but that people themselves own the value that they create themselves." A very progressive philosophy.

Lizzie's influences, Georgism, and her father--a newspaper publisher and abolitionist--lead her to be a forward thinking, strong woman.

Typically in these posts, I'd delve into the history myself--but one of my sources is so excellent that I think it warrants a read. If you'd like to know more about Elizabeth Magie and the invention of Monopoly, read Mary Pilon's article, "Monopoly's Inventor: The Progressive Who Didn't Pass Go," on the New York Times' website. I hope you enjoy learning all about this incredible woman as much as I did!

Another great resource can be found at: http://www.henrygeorge.org/dodson_on_monopoly.htm.

Inspiring Inventions: Fingerprinting

Our inspiring invention this week is fingerprinting. It seems so ordinary to us now, we're fingerprinted at birth in the hospital. It's a process that has solved crimes, improved the quality of life in our cities albeit indirectly, and even proven people innocent. But that wasn't always the case. The "birth" of fingerprinting as a forensic, scientific process took many years and the milestones crossed spanned several nations. When I began condensing this history done to its core milestones, I was struck by how inter-generational and international this process was and is. Here's a timeline that details how we got to this important method:

• 1665 (Italy) Dr. Marcello Malphigi discovers the existence of patterns of ridges on the fingertips.
• 1684 (England) Dr. Nehemiah Grew publishes the 1st paper describing Dr. Malphigi's earlier discovery, though Dr. Grew discovers that the ridge patterns also extend to the palms.
• 1788 (Germany) Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer determines fingerprints are unique to each individual.
• 1858 (India) Sir William James Herschel begins fingerprinting as a means of identification to prevent fraud on contracts, deeds, pension collection, and even at prisoners' sentencing.
• 1863 (France) Paul-Jean Coulier discovers that iodine fumes reveal fingerprints on paper.
• 1880 (Scotland) Dr. Henry Faulds publishes the 1st paper detailing a method of recording fingerprints in ink as a process of later identification. (Dr. Faulds is also the first person to lift fingerprints off of an object!)
• 1886 (Scotland) Dr. Faulds suggests the method of fingerprinting to the London Metropolitan Police, who dismiss it. This dismissal leads Dr. Faulds to seek advice from Charles Darwin. Too ill to work on developing a perfected method of fingerprinting, Darwin recommends the project to his cousin, Francis Galton.

Galton takes up the project and publishes a detailed forensic scientific study called Finger Prints.

• 1892 (Argentina) Juan Vuetich, after reading Galton's Finger Prints, sets up the 1st fingerprinting bureau in the world!
• 1901 (Scotland & England) Both Scotland Yard & The Metropolitan Police in London add a fingerprinting bureau.
• 1902 (United States) In New York, there was the first case of identification, arrest & conviction of a murder based on fingerprint evidence.

Sources & For More Information:

• Cyril John Polson, "Finger Prints & Finger Printing: An Historical Study," Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, vol. 41, Issue 5, Article 16.
• For more on the controversy of the history of fingerprinting, for Galton vs. Faulds , for Herschel vs. Haque & Bose, and for Imperialism and fingerprinting.

Jewelry Spotlight: My Wedding Jewelry

I had so many ideas and designs sketched for my wedding jewelry, but as with my best pieces the end result came when I put on my favorite music and sat at my studio table and played with the individual pieces until it felt right.

The other bracelet was one of my many something borroweds. My best friend since childhood, Tiffany, lent me her rhinestone bracelet which was her something new that I gave her for her wedding.

Here she is putting the bracelet on my wrist. It is wonderful to have friends who truly love the jewelry I make or give them. It's such an immensely humbling and fulfilling moment when you realize that it's also a cherished piece. I almost cried when Tiffany pulled the bracelet out of her bag.

My best friend Kelechi also lent me a precious piece of jewelry, her grandmother's sapphire ring. I know how important and dear the ring is to her and it meant the world to me that she let me borrow it for the evening. It made me feel like Cinderella.

I made a bouquet locket for myself with my grandfather, Popu's, picture in it out of an old silver bookmark and a lovely odd shaped silver locket. Around the base of my bouquet I tied another dear gift, a periwinkle blue rhinestone necklace that my mother-in-law, Lory, gave me for our wedding. It was her mother's, and it meant so much to me that she entrusted an heirloom to me. It sparkled beautifully and a little piece of Grandma Mary walked with me down the aisle.

Th earrings I made for myself were silver gears, mismatched, with antique pearls, rhinestone spacer beads, and vintage teardrop crystals. They are simple, dainty, and elegant.

Here is a side view of my necklace. I made it with re-purposed silver chain, a silver cuckoo clock gear, a faceted Austrian crystal (rectangular shaped), and a rhinestone metal flower bead. All these little pieces and more are what I had squirreled away for myself one day.

Thanks for letting me share a little more of our wedding with you, especially the jewelry. I love weddings, and have been fortunate enough to create some bridal pieces and wedding party collections for several couples. I am always honored.

Junkin Tips & Tricks: 2

As always, Happy Junkin'so you can get to Steampunkin'!

Notable Women: Adah Matilda Robinson (1882-1962)

So often in history, the accomplishments of women are downplayed, deemed as secondary (namely, categorized as a support role and nothing more), or completely erased. One such erasure from the history books is Adah Matilda Robinson, who designed the Boston Avenue Methodist Church here in Tulsa, a claim that famous architect Bruce Goff, who collaborated with Robinson, made.

To back-track a bit, let me tell you more about Adah. She was a "painter, printmaker, and teacher" who moved with her family to Oklahoma City from Richmond, Indiana in 1905 (just 2 years before Oklahoma declared statehood).

She moved to Tulsa in 1916 and went on to found the Art Department at the University of Tulsa in 1928. She also established an art fraternity on campus, Alpha Rho Tau and also founded the Tulsa Art Association.

Adah is also known for influencing and teaching 2 exemplary American architects, Bruce Goff and Joseph Korberling both of whom would go on to have illustrious careers.

Adah would collaborate with both Goff and Korberling on the construction and design of her home (which you can still visit at 1119 S. Owasso Ave. in Tulsa). Her home, like the Boston Ave. Methodist Church, is a wonderful example of Art Deco Architecture.

Historic Tulsa describes her home & studio as a "hollow tile and stucco Art Deco house [with] leaded glass windows, terrazzo floors, and contemporary spaces decades before its time." It has a two-story living room with an open balcony, sunken conversation pit complete with fireplace, and a small kitchen (added into the design with help from Korberling).

Today her house is for the most part true to its design, apart from the addition of a car-port and sunroom which were both added by the new owner in the 80s.

In 1926, after the construction of her house, Adah submitted a radically new design for a church to the committee overseeing the building of the Boston Ave. Methodist Church. The committee was at first apprehensive about Adah's design, but after hearing her explain the concept behind it they moved forward with her design.

Adah's design was so cutting edge that professional architects declined to bid on the work. It was then that Adah recommended her former student and friend, Bruce Goff. Goff signed onto the project in 1926. His contract stated: Adah Robinson "is in charge of all things artistic, both inside and outside the building and for carrying out the wishes of the church," for which she was paid $5,000.

Goff, for his part, created the technical drawings and blueprints for the church. The architecture firm he worked for, Rush, Endacott, and Rush, oversaw the building operations. Later, Goff and his firm would claim that Goff was the primary designer of the church. They insisted that his name be installed on the cornerstone of the church.

The Boston Ave. Methodist Church, however, sided with Adah Robinson. No cornerstone was ever installed. The church and its officials still to this day say that Adah Robinson designed their church.

In 1945, University of Tulsa's President, Birch Pontius, told Adah that he didn't believe that she designed the church (despite having a "chest of her designs" confirming that she had)! She resigned from TU (a black mark on my alma mater if you ask me!) and went on to teach art at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Many remember Adah as a teacher and artist. She inspired many. May she also be remembered as she rightfully should, as the primary designer of the greatest example of ecclesiastical Art Deco Architecture in America.

Sources & Additional Reading on Adah:

• Jo Beth Harris's biography, Here's to You, Adah Robinson
• For a brief history of Adah
• For more on Adah's Art Deco Home
• For more on Adah, read Tulsa World's article "Designing Woman"
• Or if you feel you'd like to investigate further, visit McFarlin Library's Special Collections to see a copy of a committee contract. Here's the call no. information so you can plan your visit.

Inspiring Inventions: The Winchester Rifle

The Winchester Rifle was invented by Oliver Winchester in 1866. Oliver pioneered a "spring-closed loading port on the right-hand side of the frame" which resulted in a rifle that could reliably fire several shots without having to reload. It was commonly known as the "repeating rifle" as well as historically known as "the gun that won the West."

While the rifle's invention itself is interesting, far more fascinating is the story of Sarah Winchester. Sarah married William Winchester, the son of Oliver who followed in his father's footsteps and manufactured the rifle.

Sarah & William had a daughter, Annie, who died of a mysterious illness in infancy. William also died prematurely of tuberculosis. Distraught by her loss and riddled with grief, Sarah sought guidance from a Spiritualist in Boston.

The Spiritualist told Sarah that she and her family were being haunted by the spirits of the dead who had been killed by the rifle. The spiritualist told Sarah that the deaths of her beloved Annie & William were because of malicious spirits seeking revenge...and that she was next!

The Spiritualist proposed a solution-to build a grand house as tribute to the dead and to never cease construction on it or the spirits would get her.

Sarah took the Spiritualist's advice to heart. She bought a house and land in Santa Clara Valley, California and began the 38 year construction of her home. When she died in 1922, her mansion had grown to "160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 stairways, 47 fireplaces, 13 bathrooms, and 6 kitchens."

It is quite a sight to see-with staircases leading nowhere and windows built into the floor.

You can visit her mansion today, which I highly recommend. I had the opportunity to tour it and it is a marvelous wonder. One of my favorite details is the green/sustainable ways the house's guttering system reuses and recycles water. The gutter will water the myriad of plants under windows and around the exterior of the mansion.

There is also an abundance of Tiffany & Co. stained glass windows-each one more breathtaking than the last.

What struck me most about the Winchester Mansion was what they found inside the safe after Sarah's death. And if you want to know what it was, you'll just have to take the tour yourself!

Source:

The Winchester Mystery House website (where you can learn more & plan your visit)