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This living room makeover of a Brooklyn Brownstone RENTAL (!) is one of my favorites. The family is A) fantastic and B) out of time, and they needed help making their most commonly used living space into something usable and pretty. This required putting stuff on the walls and doing some cosmetic design work because the initial situation - bless its heart - was not OK. Friendly reminder, this is a rental, so we weren't necessarily looking for forever pieces or cheap-o placeholders. Really the goal was to get art and furnishings that we called "maybe forevers" -- pieces that could be repurposed for future homes, or not, without too much emotional torture.
Step 1 was to address the floor plan; there was the largest piece of furniture I've ever seen set between the windows, blocking light and creating two awkward sitting areas. We moved that sucker to the side, changed up the rugs to make two not-awkward areas, and declared one the dining nook and the other the living space. Side note: rugs that are 20 feet long are extraordinarily heavy.
Step 2 was to style the walls. We purchased one large painting and framed it in a dark wood for over the yellow couch. The dark frame was key to creating contrast in the space because everything was a blonde-color at first. The opposite wall became an art gallery wall, filled with uplifting pieces in various media, including a photograph of the husband's first apartment when his family moved to America that we had reprinted and framed. Finally, in the dining nook, we put up some gray vintage mirrors in different sizes and shapes to reflect natural light and expand that space.
Step 3 was to style it all together. We got a ton of accents - baskets, plants, a plug in sconce, side tables and a pouf - to make it work as a whole. The most fun fact of it all was that the family was away during install AND they gave us the OK to style as we wanted, knowing that we got their taste. They came home to quite a (happy) surprise and were - and I quote "quite obsessed."


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I've been working on a project this week that I kept a secret, mostly because I wasn't sure it was going to work out. However, I'm so excited about the results, so it's time to spill the beans.
First of all, I'm still working on some sewing patterns, but last December I started working with a printer on some ugly sweater-style Christmas sewing t-shirts. It was too close to the holiday by the time I got things settled, so they were only out for a minute, but I knew I wanted to bring them back this year. I had a few non-holiday ideas too, so I decided to give those a shot, and I'm very happy with the way my designs turned out! These are all available in my shop now, and all of the designs (except the Christmas one) are available on a white or grey t-shirt, and on mugs and tote bags as well. I'd love to hear what you think!
This post contains affiliate links. For my full disclosure policy and point of view, click here.
I love these sleeves on this girls' dress pattern from It's Always Autumn. I wonder if I could scale this up to my size?
These little bags from Polkadot Chair couldn't be more summery!
I hate having to wash the mixer bowl every time I need to use it because it has collected kitchen debris. This cover from Laura's Crafty Life looks like a great solution.
Two of my favorite beverages, brought together in the most adorable cookie by Liv for Cake.
The number next to my Friday Favorites is a real one. That means this week marks my 392nd Friday Favorites post. I'm telling you this because I think I might have shared this pincushion cuff pattern from michellepatterns once before, but out of about 3000 things I've featured I can't be certain. This little thing is so adorable, I can't even promise it won't turn up again.
You can find these, and my previous Friday Favorites, on my Crafty Staci's Friday Favorites Pinterest board!

subset: commoncrawl


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Insurer close to announcing two 'significant' corporate partnerships, says chief executive Jon Dye
Allianz UK strengthened personal motor reserves in the fourth quarter because of rising claims frequency, said chief executive Jon Dye.
Speaking to journalists this morning following the release of Allianz UK's 2014 results, Dye also revealed that the insurer was close to announcing two "significant" corporate partnerships which could each bring in up to £15m of premium a year.
Reserve strengthening
Allianz UK's personal motor combined operating ratio (COR) increased by 1.1 percentage points in the fourth quarter to an unprofitable 101.3% from the 100.2% reported for the first nine months of 2014.
Dye said that some of the COR increase was down to the investment the company is making to grow its business as it pursues its five-year plan of being a £3bn insurer by 2018.
But the other reason was reserve strengthening in personal motor because of increasing claims frequency. Dye said: "I have seen some of my peers in the business talking about this so it is clearly a market phenomenon."
Dye said that following a dip in claims frequency shortly after the introduction of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, claims frequency has started to rise again.
In addition, cheaper fuel prices means more people are driving more miles, which is increasing claims frequency.
He added that Allianz itself was seeing an increase in claims from accidents involving cyclists.
Dye said that the company needed to respond to the trend. "The reserve strengthening wasn't a complete surprise but we have to play the account as we see it. What we are certainly not going to do is fail to take adequate and prudent provision."
He added: "Our motor portfolio is not living off prior-year [reserve] releases – it is being properly reserved base d on what we see in the current year."
Dye also stressed that Allianz's growth strategy would not be at the expense of profitability. He said: "If the competitive intensity in 2015 means that we need to slow down, we'll slow down. We are not committed to a top line target that we will hit come what may – absolutely not."
He described the overall COR for the year of 97.6% as "better than we had planned". He added: "The broad direction here is excellent."
New partnerships
Dye also revealed that Allianz was poised to announce two new corporate partnership deals. Dye did not name the companies Allianz would be working with, but said that one was a mobile phone deal and the other relates to car insurance.
He said: "They are in the £10m-15m per annum bracket and will be coming on stream soon."
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text: I had the privilege of shooting Alix and Tam's wedding the other week at the Brock House in Vancouver. It's funny because since their engagement I've taken so many photos of these two (from engagement photos, to bridal shower, to rehearsal dinner etc.) that it feels like I'm their own personal Paparazzi. That being said, for some reason they didn't invite me on the Honeymoon to Turkey. In any case, here are a few selections from the wedding. Enjoy!


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This Garlic Soup Recipe Can Easily Deal With Colds And The Flu!
Garlic has been used as a natural remedy against many ailments for quite a long time. Its use was traced back to the ancient Roman, Greek and Egyptian civilizations and it's all thanks to its incredible properties. Besides giving our meals a nice flavor, garlic offers numerous medicinal benefits and is considered one of the best natural "medications". Most of the health benefits of garlic can be attributed to a compound called allicin, a sulfuric compound that is released when the vegetable is crushed or chewed. Consuming garlic is best…Read More


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A parody of a 1940s radio play would be as relevant to audiences today as, well, a 1940s radio play itself. But while it is inspired by a medium that is virtually extinct, Reggie Watts and playwright Tommy Smith's Radio Play, currently running at PS 122 in New York City, is more accurately a lively, non-linear deconstruction of everything that radio listeners might be exposed to as they search the AM/FM airwaves. With scripted and musical transitions – at the same time more immersive and yet more subtle than the static between stations – that transport the audience between vignettes, an absurd take on a noir radio drama can become a silly domestic comedy scene, a riff on radio commercial jingles morphs into an abstract soundscape, and spooky sound effects and technical tricks contribute to an hallucinatory, stream-of-consciousness theatrical experience that is greater than the sum of its vintage parts.
Performing Radio Play mostly in complete darkness, Watts is the ringmaster, accompanied on stage by four other performers (actors Havilah Brewster, Beth Hoyt, and Mary Jane Gibson, with Jen Rondeau playing the theremin) who are surrounded by antiquated equipment such as old cassette players and television sets, mid-century appliances, and a lonely film projector spinning its empty reel. Improvised moments sneak into the structured piece, throughout which the audience is immersed in Watts' unique vision that is meant to be heard and felt more than seen, with blackness punctuated only occasionally by well-placed and impeccably timed lighting cues.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last week, Watts called Radio Play "a fragmented psychology" and said, "It should feel like a day dream, like a journey through ideas." WSJ writer Lizzie Simon aptly decides while observing rehearsals of Radio Play, "The show is funny and not funny and, as is common in Mr. Watts' work, it is not always clear whether something is funny or not funny or what it is at all."
That description could be applied to almost any Reggie Watts performance. His solo shows are as wild and ranging as his prodigious afro. Since moving to New York City from Seattle in 2005, the musician-comedian has built a following in the ever-expanding "alt comedy" scene with his mostly improvised and at times chaotic blend of comedy, music, loop-machine effects, and theatrics. Watts is not just a stand-up comic or singer-songwriter, not a beat-boxer or a DJ or a character actor. He is all of these things at once, and even though that might make him hard to define in genre terms, his one-of-a-kind style is spoken of with hushed reverence by fans whose numbers are rapidly growing.
Watts is also one of the few acts who truly has to be seen live and in person to be believed. His songs generally start with a backing rhythm or beat box effect; as he records his carefully controlled vocals live on stage and begins to play back each aural element with a loop machine, he'll add additional sounds, lyrics, and effects to create complex, layered a cappella tracks that also incorporate his unique comic perspective. Nearly all of Watts' shows are completely improvised, and his ability to develop and sustain a bit on the spot is better understood and appreciated with the immediacy of theater than on screen. But contrasted with the free-form audio journeys that his solo shows often take, rehearsing and perfecting a scripted project like Radio Play is "good for me," Watts told WSJ. "I can actually be part of a structure but still have my moments of improvisation."
Watts has traveled around the world as a solo performer, including spots at festivals such as SXSW, Bonnaroo, the Montreal Comedy Festival, the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival, and more. He has appeared on TV as a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Conan, and was the opening act for Conan O'Brien's "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour." And he's just as likely to perform a 10-minute set at a bar in Brooklyn as he is to appear on stage at Madison Square Garden (where he showed up to contribute to LCD Soundsystem's recent final farewell show).
He has also written and performed music with Regina Spektor, and he created the theme songs for comedian Louis CK's FX show Louie, Scott Aukerman's Comedy Death Ray Radio and Comedy Bang Bang, and Kristen Schaal's Penelope Princess of Pets. He was the winner of the 2006 Andy Kaufman Comedy Award and the 2009 ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act, among others. Watts released a CD/DVD, Why Shit So Crazy?, last year on Comedy Central Records.
(Warning: Video contains language NSFW)
Watts became interested in alternative performance styles when he was living and playing music in Seattle, where he also met and started collaborating with playwright Tommy Smith. Radio Play is the fourth multimedia experimental theater piece that Watts has co-created with Smith since 2007, a collaboration that previously produced Transition, Disinformation, and Dutch A/V.
"To me it's the ultimate art form," Watts told WSJ, discussing his love of live theater over even music and comedy. "It incorporates every single medium you can imagine. You feel people in the room, and it's completely human-powered."
Radio Play has just been extended through May 28, 2011 at Performance Space 122, 150 First Ave. (at 9th St.), NYC. Performances run Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 6 p.m., with late performances at 10 p.m. on May 14, 21, 27 & 28. For more info and to purchase tickets, visit www.ps122.org.
This story was posted online May 13, 2011 at Blog Stage.


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Learn about some of the fun products that we sell in the store and the application techniques for each one at this educationally trendy workshop! The products that will be featured and used on your 4 wooden block picture frames are: Varathane Oil-based Stains, Varathane Weathered Wood, DecoArt Water-based Stains, Americana Décor Metallics, and Rust-oleum Chalked Paint. Come out for a crafty good time! $25 per person, price includes supplies. Please prepay with registration. Call today! 440.647.4659
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Earlier Event: May 11Growing Great in Containers Class
Later Event: May 29Open Memorial Day


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Christian Light Education is a complete curriculum from grades 1 by means of 12, like teacher material, help things, and an in depth line of higher school electives. A distance studying higher school will have numerous specialists on employees to help guide your kid and support him choose the courses that will best suit his demands and interests. To discover your alternatives, please visit our page on Teaching Approaches and Understanding Philosophies , which consists of hyperlinks to other sites exactly where you can uncover out much more about any given strategy and which curriculum materials would best assistance it.
All Elementary School programs also contain integrated technology lessons that coincide with subjects and lessons. A homeschool curriculum package Customized for your kid primarily based on his/her skills, needs, and desires – to help motivate, challenge, and most importantly….enrich your child's property studying experience. Rosetta Stone® Language Finding out for Homeschool gives speech recognition technologies so sophisticated you will not uncover it anywhere else.
Please check the K-eight curriculum descriptions and rates for detailed content material and pricing information before you order! Most folks purchase a year's curriculum at a time, but some favor to get almost everything at once. And for parents, there are expense advantages and record keeping positive aspects which frees parents to devote much more time to teaching, specifically for these parents who homeschool much more than one particular child. Sonlight gives complete Christian homeschooling programs for children in preschool – 12th grade.
Some parents use Time4Learning as supplementary, other folks use Time4Learning as the main homeschooling curriculum as education on the computer. All other states and territories let homeschoolers to make up their own curriculum but they also call for you to show some arranging. Rosetta Stone Language Learning for Homeschool offers tools to support make it less difficult to bring foreign language to your homeschool. I am not a homeschooling mom (at least not but), but I am a librarian and have taught in a homeschooling" private school. Reading other peoples expertise with curriculum will save you a lot of time and cash.
Homeschool households have increased by 7% each of the final couple years according to a recent study. Standard curricula, such as those of the college system, are deliberately constructed in terms of curriculum content material (what is to be discovered), organization into subject matters (in what context it is to be discovered), and organization into levels or grades (when or in what order it is to be learned). A homeschool curriculum package, generally contains the teacher supplies in addition to the students'.


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Open Mic Night
Open Mic Night at the Lord Eldon Open Mic Night at the Lord Eldon is a pretty laid back affair. Just bring your guitar or whatever and away you go. All welcome, from newbies to the more experienced. The night starts around 9pm and finishes around 11.30pm. How many songs you can perform will depend on
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Quokka 8 – Latest News from the ARC Race
Hi to all following Quokka
A quick update,
We suffered significant damage to our mainsail on the evening of the 24th so were on jib only making slow progress for 2 days while Jim repaired it. unfortunately it meant we were in the wrong place for the next weather system and allowed a lot of the other boats to get away.
We then discovered an unknown blackspot in the sat comms so were in the dark as far as positions and weather to a degree. Carla allowed us to use her alternative sat comms (different network) to get weather, but we can't link it to our routing software.
We're all in good spirits as not only finding the better breeze a few days ago, we passed the half way point earlier today so we're now having the mandatory party!!!!
More to follow soon!
The crew of Quokka 8


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At very first flush, it seems straightforward. We all tend to consider, we'll go for a invigorating morning stroll, have breakfast on the way in that tony joint, come house to a cup of coffee, read papers & magazines, catch up on music, watch Television, check out pals and so on. All these may possibly occur and nevertheless there will be massive chunks of time to fill. Plus, a single might not be capable to do all these each day.
At death, the amounts in the gross estate can differ based on who the property is owned with. JTWROS held with spouses indicates that at the death of the very first JT, 50% is included in their gross estate, which their spouse inherits. But JTWROS with non-spouses signifies that the contribution rule applies. In that case, when the first JT dies, one hundred% of the fair market place value (FMV) of the property is included in their gross estate, then the executor or executrix adjusts that quantity primarily based on the percentage that the JT actually contributed towards the initial purchase price tag.
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European Space Agency Branding by Tata&Friends
Madrid-based studio Tata&Friends conceptualized this clever new identity for the European Space Agency.
"Icon Magazine asked us to rebrand any possible thing for their rethink section. As we've been in love with the idea of rebranding the European Space Agency for a long time, we knew we had to go for it.
Our rethink goal was to awaken the curiosity of people to space & understand the achievements of a united Europe in exploring the universe. Union makes force."
More branding inspiration via AbduzeedoBranding Graphic Design Illustration Print Design Typography Posted on January 9, 2018


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Kindness Camp 2018
In this Summer Camp Program, based on the Imagination Yoga Curriculum, we went on yoga adventures that stretched our minds and bodies. We practiced mindfulness, calm and kindness through games, stories and discussions. We also did several art projects that culminated in every child going home with a "Calm Kit" to help them self-regulate when needed.


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We are bringing the 2nd Saturday fun inside for the Best. Local. Shopping. featuring FlagSwag!
Joining the fun: Sunflower Espresso Wichita and Little Lion Ice Cream and Wichita's newest food truck, Sorrel Jamaican Food!
Save 15% OFF your entire purchase with your 2nd Saturday tote bag or keychain (available in store for only $5)!
Featuring: O Pioneer Grooming Co. and Sunflower Espresso Wichita


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MS schedule works- if you're in band or choir
SOLON– Sixty-four percent of Solon's middle school students participate in either band or choir.
But for the remaining 35 percent, there are no options except study hall.
The scheduling dilemma was discussed at the April 8 meeting of the Solon school board and options will be explored in the coming months as administrators attempt to align possible academic changes with a long-range facilities plan.
The Solon Middle School operates on an eight-period day, but the periods are now arranged in a adjusted block to allow for a transition to the high school's block schedule.
It's been that way since the fifth-through-eighth grade middle school concept was adopted, shortly after the construction of the Solon High School over a decade ago.
At the April meeting, Middle school principal Mike Herdliska reported to board members that the driving force for keeping the schedule was no longer the idea of a middle school vision.
"What has forced us to keep it, to some degree, is it meshes real well with the high school schedule and we share a minimum of four teachers in any given year," Herdliska said.
Language arts is taught in a two-period block every day, while social studies and science meet as a block every other day, he said. Math meets daily as a single period. Toss in physical education, band and chorus, and that leaves only the third period open for exploratory classes.
"This schedule works real well for the kids that are involved in both band and choir," Herdliska noted. "No study halls– the day is full. That's what really drives our schedule."
The middle school has outstanding involvement in the fine arts, Herdliska reported. Fifty-three percent of students are involved in choir, almost a third are in the band. Close to two-thirds are in one or the other.
But if they're not involved in band or choir, the open periods become study halls, he said. And since band meets daily (chorus every other day) a student not taking either class could end up with three study halls in a typical two-day cycle.
That was the very scene painted by Amber Marty, parent of a middle school student who is not involved in the fine arts, during the public comment portion of the agenda.
Marty was concerned about the lack of electives at the middle school, the absence of parental involvement in the scheduling process and the administration's response.
"My frustration has snowballed once again at the lack of attention being given to these needs," Marty said. Her daughter has been identified as one of 22 students qualified for higher math instruction, she said, but the district's plan was to reintegrate them into regular math classes as opposed to providing additional academic opportunities.
"I am asking for a sense of urgency placed on this change," she said. "A district must provide some extension to the core if students have mastered skills.
"As it stands today, my message to my daughter is the district is settling for mediocrity regardless of her success," she said. "This is not academic excellence."
Herdliska tackled the complex nature of the schedule later in the meeting.
"Unfortunately when you talk about solutions, how you fix that problem, the fix isn't always as easy as filling it in with something," Herdliska explained.
The challenging part about the schedule, he said, is that it's three-dimensional. There's the student schedule, but it has to coordinate with the schedule of the school and the teacher.
"Any adjustment to the student part of it has ripples that affect the master schedule," he said.
Making it even more complex is the desire to add intervention time to the school day, allowing for more remedial and enrichment opportunities.
"We've got more that we'd like to put in the school day for all kids and not take anything out," Herdliska said.
When asked whether online opportunities exist, Herdliska said most to his knowledge are geared toward college credit classes for high school students.
The question, superintendent Sam Miller interjected, is whether or not the schedule can be improved.
"I think it can," Miller said. But it has to be done carefully.
"Changing the schedule, as you know, is a big deal because there's always unintended consequences," Miller said, "which is why I really think it's important that stakeholders are engaged in the process."
Any idea will have to be considered for all of its ramifications, Miller noted, and the district will have to be prepared to any questions and explain the reasoning behind a proposal.
"That's why I think it's important for us to analyze the schedule and say can we make it better?" Miller said. "Can we have students engaged and not be in a situation where they're in study hall, which we know is not a good place for 13, 14, 15-year old students."
The process has begun, Miller observed, and this was the starting point.
He suggested the district administration could come back to the board with a framework of ideas for review. When asked whether the overhaul could be completed in a year, Miller didn't rule it out.
"It sounds simple, but it really is extremely complicated building schedules," he explained. "Even with technology, it will take a principal weeks and weeks to get his master schedule to the point where you can go with it."
But the district has committed itself to the issue and has started working on it, he said. The district is already working on a facilities plan and the middle school will be a big part of it, he said, making this perhaps a logical time to look at scheduling.
Board member Dick Schwab suggested more time be made for math and science, even if it meant sacrificing school time for band and chorus. "Philosophically, we've got to richen this up with STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Math) kinds of classes, in my opinion," he said.
Board member Dean Martin said it would be nice to have a broader range of opportunities for students, but urged a thorough approach. "I do agree it needs to be a well thought-out process, so if we make the change we make the right change," Martin said.
Miller indicated a framework should be ready for review by the May board meeting, but he encouraged the board to be aware of the staffing implications behind any decision and the budget issues that might result.
Board member Dan Coons understood.
"I think the elephant in the room is we know what the scores are in the middle school, they're not what they should be," Coons said. "I feel like we need to up our ante here academically first."
Board president Dave Asprey concluded by pointing to the district's mission statement and noting that the Solon district is at least in a position to address the problem.
"We could be having a much worse discussion about cutting programs and how are we going to make our ends meet and how many teachers are we going to have to let go," Asprey said. "From that perspective I think this is a very good and important discussion to be having."


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About a two-hour ride from New York City or Boston, New Haven holds its own with culinary, cultural and historic offerings. And sorry, Manhattan: this Connecticut city was ahead of you in getting a grid plan. Founded by English settlers in 1638, New Haven was shortly after laid out as the "Nine Squares," a grid setup of the same number with its common space now being the New Haven Green.
Present day New Haven has been on a solid upswing. Every June, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas hosts performance artists, musicians and speakers from all genres at locations throughout the city. Dining in New Haven is part melting pot, part experimentation as immigrants and inventive chefs continue to infuse their culinary influences. Nightlife involves cocktail bars and live music venues, and theatres and museums also provide much to do. And we haven't even mentioned Yale yet.
New Haven Pizza
Photo by Michele Herrmann
New Haven's greatest culinary addition is "apizza"—a version of pizza that's a plain tomato pie with a sprinkling of grated pecorino Romano and a crust that is thin, crispy and charred from being traditionally baked in a coal-fired oven. This Neapolitan style is linked to southern Italian immigrants who settled in New Haven and opened businesses selling this dish.
One place that has put New Haven pizza on the map is Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, or simply known as Pepe's. In business since 1925, this family-owned institution gets diners lining up outside its flagship location on Wooster Street for pizzas such as their original tomato pies and their invention, the white clam pie.
A respected rival to Pepe's, fellow New Haven long-timer Sally's Apizza was opened in 1938 by Frank Pepe's nephew, Salvatore Consiglio, and makes similar Neapolitan-style pizza. Other pizzerias to include: Modern Apizza, with mozzarella-based pizza specialties like its Italian Bomb with seven hefty toppings (bacon, sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, onion, pepper and garlic); and BAR (pictured above), a pizzeria and nightclub noted for its mashed potato pie.
Yale University
Founded in 1701 in what is now Old Saybrook, Connecticut, this Ivy League institution (pictured at top) was moved to New Haven over a decade later and has been a fixture in the downtown area ever since. As an easier way to "get into Yale," take a student-led campus tour. Tours start at the visitor center and highlight the university's history and offer some trivia. Highlights could include the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, with an interesting marble paneled exterior that filters outside light and whose collection contains a copy of the Gutenberg Bible. Or go solo with self-guided tours focusing on public art or a "Women at Yale" themed itinerary.
Yale Center for British Art
Reopened publicly in May 2016 after a major building conservation project, this museum/research center provides a great introduction to British art. The Yale Center for British Art holds the largest and most comprehensive collection of its kind outside of the United Kingdom, encompassing drawings, paintings, manuscripts and sculptures from the Elizabethan period onward. Along with seeing its massive Reference Library, linger along the fourth floor Long Gallery, a sweep of seven bays graced from floor to ceiling with more than 200 works such as portraits and landscapes. And admission to the museum is free.


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Party in Style this Holiday Season
A Timeless Lesson.
Whose watched "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" yet this year? A seasonal classic, it's delivered in a funny and imaginative form that only Dr. Seuss knows how to do. However, like most of Dr. Seuss' stories, the deeper message is something that resonates much more as adults.
After watching the Who's gather more and more "stuff," the ending lesson for the Grinch was that even after all of it was taken away, Christmas was still there. He realizes, "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps means a little bit more."
The Gift of Gathering
Yes, yes, it's a bit of a cheesy message to remind you of. There is lots of joy to be found in selecting gifts for the ones we love, to show how we appreciate them and a selfless way to say, "hey, I was thinking about you!" But it's the company of others, the companionship and sense of community that truly warms the heart. It's why we cook the big meals, bundle up and march to the car no matter the weather, and buy the gifts. We as humans crave togetherness, and there's no time of year it's in abundance as much as the holiday season.
Set the Stage
Of course, here at A Milkhouse Party, our middle name is "gather." Workshops, private parties, public events, baby showers, bridal showers, vendor showings...everything we do here is for the purpose of boosting relationships between strangers and friends alike. For us, we have so much fun putting together a space that welcomes and entertains those who walk through the doors. From the railing of our entrance ramp to the place settings at your seat, we firmly believe that setting the stage for an event has a huge impact on the atmosphere.
A Good First Impression
What better way to welcome guests at Christmastime than with the glow of lights on a dark evening, and the smell of evergreen as they walk through the door? Whether you choose garlands or wreaths to decorate your door, it's a sure way to set the tone right off the bat.
Little Touches, Big Impact
We really love playing around with napkin treatments, especially catering them to the time of year. Cinnamon sticks with a touch of evergreen are such a small addition that make a big impression. Have a live tree? Snip a few pieces right from the back!
Festive Florals
Of course the floral designers in us put centerpieces right at the top of the list for holiday must-haves. Whether you're setting your own table or visiting a fabulous host, flowers are always a crowd pleaser. You can order from our sister business, A Garden Party and avoid a last-minute trip to the mall for a hostess gift! Prefer to bring a bottle of wine? Set the bar high with a floral ice bucket! Learn how to make one here.
Be present.
So as the weekend approaches, we encourage you to G A T H E R together and be present in the moments with your family and friends. Roll your eyes at your uncle's corny jokes, plaster a smile on when you open the pair of socks from your mom and eat Grandmom's famous pie and mashed potatoes until your pants start to cry. And love every moment of it. Love the laughs, the clinking of glasses and the sound of conversation rolling throughout the room. Take a moment to appreciate that these are YOUR people, through thick and thin.


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Five decades ago, Myrtis Dightman broke the color barrier in professional rodeo and became one of the best bull riders who ever lived. But his imprint on the sport was only just beginning.
Christian Wallace
Christian Wallace is a writer from West Texas. Before joining Texas Monthly as an assistant editor in March 2016, Wallace worked as a roughneck, a ditch digger, an electrician, a record store clerk, a radio DJ, and as a writing instructor at the National University of Ireland in Galway, where he earned a Master's degree in Writing. Among his publishing credits, Wallace has a Pushcart Prize nomination for his poetry and contributed an essay to Texas Monthly's National Magazine Award-nominated package "Knives Out." When not fact-checking or writing stories, he prefers to be reading at his home in San Marcos, kayaking through Santa Elena Canyon, hiking around Ireland, or holed up in a honky-tonk with a good jukebox somewhere in between.
Articles by Christian Wallace
May 4, 2018 — By Christian Wallace
The film debuts at the Dallas International Film Festival this weekend.
Mar 20, 2018 — By Christian Wallace
Remembering "The Alamo" through souvenir shot glasses, John Wayne toilet paper, and the family that brought the 1960 classic to Texas.
Feb 1, 2018 — By Christian Wallace
Chris Fullerton performs the final song of the beloved Texas songwriter.
Dec 21, 2017 — By Christian Wallace
Can a 1960s novel with a cult following finally become the blockbuster film its fans believe it should be?
Sep 30, 2017 — By Emily McCullar, Doyin Oyeniyi, Christian Wallace and Dan Solomon
Plus: Does Coach really deserve Tami Taylor?
Sep 22, 2017 — By Texas Monthly, Abby Johnston, Emily McCullar, Doyin Oyeniyi and Christian Wallace
Going to Gatling, meeting Landry, and discovering the cruelty of teenage girls.
Sep 8, 2017 — By Emily McCullar, Doyin Oyeniyi, Christian Wallace and Dan Solomon
Yeah, we love Coach Taylor. But we're skeptical that his big hearted speeches are doing much for his team off of the field.
Sep 1, 2017 — By Emily McCullar, Doyin Oyeniyi, Christian Wallace and Dan Solomon
The Dillon Panthers are back (for us, anyway).
Aug 15, 2017 — By Christian Wallace
Three albums out in the next month bring country rock, story-songs, and swampy blues.


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Editor's Note: Any reference to TheStreet Ratings and its underlying recommendation does not reflect the opinion of TheStreet, Inc. or any of its contributors including Jim Cramer or Stephanie Link. NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Impax Laboratories (Nasdaq: IPXL) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from buy to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, reasonable valuation levels and good cash flow from operations. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including feeble growth in the company's earnings per share, unimpressive growth in net income and a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself.
- EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Jim Cramer's Protégé, Dave Peltier, only buys Stocks Under $10 that he thinks could potentially double. See what he's trading today with a 14-day FREE pass.
- IPXL has no debt to speak of therefore resulting in a debt-to-equity ratio of zero, which we consider to be a relatively favorable sign. Along with this, the company maintains a quick ratio of 3.32, which clearly demonstrates the ability to cover short-term cash needs.
- Current return on equity exceeded its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a clear sign of strength within the company. Compared to other companies in the Pharmaceuticals industry and the overall market on the basis of return on equity, IMPAX LABORATORIES INC has underperformed in comparison with the industry average, but has exceeded that of the S&P 500.
- IMPAX LABORATORIES INC has exprienced a steep decline in earnings per share in the most recent quarter in comparison to its performance from the same quarter a year ago. Earnings per share have declined over the last two years. We anticipate that this should continue in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, IMPAX LABORATORIES INC reported lower earnings of $0.81 versus $0.99 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 64.2% in earnings ($0.29 versus $0.81).
- The company, on the basis of change in net income from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500 and the Pharmaceuticals industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 69.9% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from $18.67 million to $5.62 million.


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Hi everyone, I looking forward to meet ppl who intend to add some colours of sport to their already colorful life in xian. Cheers
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Hi everyone, was wondering anyone know how to change my L visa to a 1 year f visa?
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Hi all I'm leslie 32, male. Just shifted from Singapore to xian. Currently looking for a job in teaching or interior design. Please help. I am currently staying in gaoxin.
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LOS ANGELES (CBS.MW) - PeopleSoft shares dipped on Tuesday after a published report said European regulators have sought further information from Oracle on its proposed acquisition of the company and may still want to block the merger.
PeopleSoft PSFT, -8.70% shares fell 20 cents to close at $19.57. The shares fell as low as $19.12 immediately after the report. Oracle ORCL, -1.13% shares pared 7 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $10.55.
The European Commission on Monday asked Oracle for further information about the proposed $7.7 billion acquisition of PeopleSoft, AFX News reported from Brussels, citing sources close to the case.
Last week a U.S. District Court Judge rejected antitrust claims brought by the U.S. Department of Justice. Read about the U.S. court's decision.
The team working on the case within the E.U. and Philip Lowe, the director-general for competition, still want to block the proposed deal, which they believe would stifle competition, AFX reported.
However, late in the day a commission spokesman told Reuters that no decision had been reached on whether to oppose the acquisition.
The request for additional information could further delay a European decision.
The Competition Commission suspended its investigation into competition concerns related to the merger in April, or "stopped the clock" on its probe, as it waited for more information from Oracle.
Any ultimate decision to block the deal would still need to win approval by others within the Commission, including competition commissioner Mario Monti and E.U. member states, the report said.
Brussels is concerned that a merger would leave a combined Oracle-PeopleSoft and German rival SAP SAP, -1.22% to dominate the market. Lawyers for the Justice Department had made the same argument.
A spokeswoman for Oracle declined to comment on the European probe.


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For a large period of my life, I've felt that my story was subpar. That it didn't measure up to the extravagant, earth-shattering, stories I've heard from others my whole life. My story seemed too subtle. Seemed like it was lacking something. I've learned since then, that the uniqueness of God and how He works in each person's journey is more beautifully earth-shattering that I could have known. And while I didn't go through what a lot of people go through, it doesn't make my story any less miraculous.
I was exposed to "church" from a young age. My mom and dad made a reasonable effort to take us regularly. I, being a kid with "better things to do", wanted nothing to do with it. Not that I didn't like the idea of God, or even outwardly rejected Him, I was bored. But, it was one day a week. My parents were divorced when I was in the 3rd grade. My dad moved out and it was just my two brothers and myself with my mom. Church was sporadic from that moment until my sophomore year of high school. My mom had various relationships before being remarried. My step dad was a nice guy, but much more on the scientific ledge than believing in faith. We never went to church and my parents never mentioned God. My dad was the one who still took us to church from time to time. We went to church enough that I began to develop deeper relationships with other youth and the youth leaders, and found that I actually wanted to be there. I had a base knowledge of God, but this was the first time where I wanted to know more. I remember a conversation I had with my dad one day in the car. It centered around heaven and hell and it was at that moment that I wanted Jesus to be in my life. I wanted Him in my life because I was. I didn't want to go to hell. I didn't understand that what I really needed was a Savior, and thus, I missed a lot of the character of who God is because my reason for wanting him was for personal gain.
I want to preface this portion by saying that I love my dad. He's changed dramatically in recent years and is a man who fears the Lord and has a heart that is seeking after Him. However, that was not always the case. I think my dad always had the base knowledge of God but, like I did as well, never thought he needed Christ as savior. That being the case he did a lot of things he wasn't proud of in life. That story is long. As I got older, I heard some of these stories, and not in an "embarrassed" or "apologetic" way, but almost proud. I realized right then that I really wasn't a whole lot like my dad, nor did I want to be.
And that's when God spoke to me. My entire life God had been present. God had been protecting me from all of the traps that can so easily take hold of someone. My parents were not 'strong' Christians. They divorced and tore our family apart at a very critical period in my life. I never had a model for what it meant to lead a family. Both my parents were remarried and the strain that that puts on anyone is enormous. I went from two brothers to being one child of nine in a very short time. I hated high school and had friends that did destructive things and had sexual relationships, did drugs, etc. But; God kept ALL of that away from me. He kept the anger issues that my dad struggled with away from me. He kept me from seeking other religions like my mom did. He somehow worked in my life to keep me sexually pure until I married. Somehow, and I didn't know it at the time but, I knew that God was bigger than all that I was going through and even though I didn't deserve that He knew that that is what I needed to become closer to Him. It was probably sometime during my second year of college that this hit me HARD. It was then that I realized that God's love, grace, and mercy were a far greater reward than my measly goal of not going to hell. I knew then, that Christ was my Savior. I've been working every day since then in trusting and trying to be obedient whenever I feel that God is calling me to do something. With His help, I will trust Him when He says He's going to move. With His help, I will lead my family as He wants me to. With His help, I will be a light wherever I can be.
Author: Mike Ellis
Photographer: Jon Morton


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BEFORE the doctor left me one evening, I asked him how much longer I was likely to live. He answered: "It's not easy to say; you may die before I can get back to you in the morning, or you may live to the end of the month."
I was alive enough on the next morning to think of the needs of my soul, and (being a member of the Roman Catholic Church) to send for the priest.
The history of my sins, related in confession, included blameworthy neglect of a duty which I owed to the laws of my country. In the priest's opinion — and I agreed with him — I was bound to make public acknowledgment of my fault, as an act of penance becoming to a Catholic Englishman. We concluded, thereupon, to try a division of labor. I related the circumstances, while his reverence took the pen and put the matter into shape.
Here follows what came of it:
WHEN I was a young man of five-and-twenty, I became a member of the London police force. After nearly two years' ordinary experience of the responsible and ill-paid duties of that vocation, I found myself employed on my first serious and terrible case of official inquiry — relating to nothing less than the crime of Murder.
The circumstances were these:
I was then attached to a station in the northern district of London — which I beg permission not to mention more particularly. On a certain Monday in the week, I took my turn of night duty. Up to four in the morning, nothing occurred at the station-house out of the ordinary way. It was then springtime, and, between the gas and the fire, the room became rather hot. I went to the door to get a breath of fresh air — much to the surprise of our Inspector on duty, who was constitutionally a chilly man. There was a fine rain falling; and a nasty damp in the air sent me back to the fireside. I don't suppose I had sat down for more than a minute when the swinging-door was violently pushed open. A frantic woman ran in with a scream, and said: "Is this the station-house?"
Our Inspector (otherwise an excellent officer) had, by some perversity of nature, a hot temper in his chilly constitution. "Why, bless the woman, can't you see it is?" he says. "What's the matter now?"
"Murder's the matter!" she burst out. "For God's sake, come back with me. It's at Mrs. Crosscapel's lodging-house, number 14 Lehigh Street. A young woman has murdered her husband in the night! With a knife, sir. She says she thinks she did it in her sleep."
I confess I was startled by this; and the third man on duty (a sergeant) seemed to feel it too. She was a nice-looking young woman, even in her terrified condition, just out of bed, with her clothes huddled on anyhow. I was partial in those days to a tall figure — and she was, as they say, my style. I put a chair for her; and the sergeant poked the fire. As for the Inspector, nothing ever upset him. He questioned her as coolly as if it had been a case of petty larceny.
"Have you seen the murdered man?" he asked.
"No, sir."
"Or the wife?"
"No, sir. I didn't dare go into the room; I only heard about it!"
"Oh? And who are You? One of the lodgers?"
"No, sir. I'm the cook."
"Isn't there a master in the house?"
"Yes, sir. He's frightened out of his wits. And the housemaid's gone for the doctor. It all falls on the poor servants, of course. Oh, why did I ever set foot in that horrible house?"
The poor soul burst out crying, and shivered from head to foot. The Inspector made a note of her statement, and then asked her to read it, and sign it with her name. The object of this proceeding was to get her to come near enough to give him the opportunity of smelling her breath. "When people make extraordinary statements," he afterward said to me, "it sometimes saves trouble to satisfy yourself that they are not drunk. I've known them to be mad — but not often. You will generally find that in their eyes."
She roused herself and signed her name — "Priscilla Thurlby." The Inspector's own test proved her to be sober; and her eyes — a nice light blue color, mild and pleasant, no doubt, when they were not staring with fear, and red with crying — satisfied him (as I supposed) that she was not mad. He turned the case over to me, in the first instance. I saw that he didn't believe in it, even yet.
"Go back with her to the house," he says. "This may be a stupid hoax, or a quarrel exaggerated. See to it yourself, and hear what the doctor says. If it is serious, send word back here directly, and let nobody enter the place or leave it till we come. Stop! You know the form if any statement is volunteered?"
"Yes, sir. I am to caution the persons that whatever they say will be taken down, and may be used against them."
"Quite right. You'll be an Inspector yourself one of these days. Now, miss!" With that he dismissed her, under my care.
Lehigh Street was not very far off — about twenty minutes' walk from the station. I confess I thought the Inspector had been rather hard on Priscilla. She was herself naturally angry with him. "What does he mean," she says, "by talking of a hoax? I wish he was as frightened as I am. This is the first time I have been out at service, sir — and I did think I had found a respectable place."
I said very little to her — feeling, if the truth must be told, rather anxious about the duty committed to me. On reaching the house the door was opened from within, before I could knock. A gentleman stepped out, who proved to be the doctor. He stopped the moment he saw me.
"You must be careful, policeman," he says. "I found the man lying on his back, in bed, dead — with the knife that had killed him left sticking in the wound."
Hearing this, I felt the necessity of sending at once to the station. Where could I find a trustworthy messenger? I took the liberty of asking the doctor if he would repeat to the police what he had already said to me. The station was not much out of his way home. He kindly granted my request.
The landlady (Mrs. Crosscapel) joined us while we were talking. She was still a young woman; not easily frightened, as far as I could see, even by a murder in the house. Her husband was in the passage behind her. He looked old enough to be her father; and he so trembled with terror that some people might have taken him for the guilty person. I removed the key from the street door, after locking it; and I said to the landlady: "Nobody must leave the house, or enter the house, till the Inspector comes. I must examine the premises to see if any on e has broken in."
"There is the key of the area gate," she said, in answer to me. "It's always kept locked. Come downstairs and see for yourself." Priscilla went with us. Her mistress set her to work to light the kitchen fire. "Some of us," says Mrs. Crosscapel, "may be the better for a cup of tea." I remarked that she took things easy, under the circumstances. She answered that the landlady of a London lodging-house could not afford to lose her wits, no matter what might happen.
I found the gate locked, and the shutters of the kitchen window fastened. The back kitchen and back door were secured in the same way. No person was concealed anywhere. Returning upstairs, I examined the front parlor window. There, again, the barred shutters answered for the security of that room. A cracked voice spoke through the door of the back parlor. "The policeman can come in," it said, "if he will promise not to look at me." I turned to the landlady for information. "It's my parlor lodger, Miss Mybus," she said, "a most respectable lady." Going into the room, I saw something rolled up perpendicularly in the bed curtains. Miss Mybus had made herself modestly invisible in that way. Having now satisfied my mind about the security of the lower part of the house, and having the keys safe in my pocket, I was ready to go upstairs.
On our way to the upper regions I asked if there had been any visitors on the previous day. There had been only two visitors, friends of the lodgers — and Mrs. Crosscapel herself had let them both out. My next inquiry related to the lodgers themselves. On the ground floor there was Miss Mybus. On the first floor (occupying both rooms) Mr. Barfield, an old bachelor, employed in a merchant's office. On the second floor, in the front room, Mr. John Zebedee, the murdered man, and his wife. In the back room, Mr. Deluc; described as a cigar agent, and supposed to be a Creole gentleman from Martinique. In the front garret, Mr. and Mrs. Crosscapel. In the back garret, the cook and the housemaid. These were the inhabitants, regularly accounted for. I asked about the servants. "Both excellent characters," says the landlady, "or they would not be in my service."
We reached the second floor, and found the housemaid on the watch outside the door of the front room. Not as nice a woman, personally, as the cook, and sadly frightened of course. Her mistress had posted her, to give the alarm in the case of an outbreak on the part of Mrs. Zebedee, kept locked up in the room. My arrival relieved the housemaid of further responsibility. She ran downstairs to her fellow-servant in the kitchen.
I asked Mrs. Crosscapel how and when the alarm of the murder had been given.
"Soon after three this morning," says she, "I was woke by the screams of Mrs. Zebedee. I found her out here on the landing, and Mr. Deluc, in great alarm, trying to quiet her. Sleeping in the next room he had only to open his door, when her screams woke him. 'My dear John's murdered! I am the miserable wretch — I did it in my sleep!' She repeated these frantic words over and over again, until she dropped in a swoon. Mr. Deluc and I carried her back into the bedroom. We both thought the poor creature had been driven distracted by some dreadful dream. But when we got to the bedside — don't ask me what we saw; the doctor has told you about it already. I was once a nurse in a hospital, and accustomed, as such, to horrid sights. It turned me cold and giddy, notwithstanding. As for Mr. Deluc, I thought he would have had a fainting fit next."
Hearing this, I inquired if Mrs. Zebedee had said or done any strange things since she had been Mrs. Crosscapel's lodger.
"You think she's mad?" says the landlady. "And anybody would be of your mind, when a woman accuses herself of murdering her husband in her sleep. All I can say is that, up to this morning, a more quiet, sensible, well-behaved little person than Mrs. Zebedee I never met with. Only just married, mind, and as fond of her unfortunate husband as a woman could be. I should have called them a pattern couple, in their own line of life."
There was no more to be said on the landing. We unlocked the door and went into the room.
HE lay in bed on his back as the doctor had described him. On the left side of his nightgown, just over his heart, the blood on the linen told its terrible tale. As well as one could judge, looking unwillingly at a dead face, he must have been a handsome young man in his lifetime. It was a sight to sadden anybody — but I think the most painful sensation was when my eyes fell next on his miserable wife.
She was down on the floor, crouched up in a corner — a dark little woman, smartly dressed in gay colors. Her black hair and her big brown eyes made the horrid paleness of her face look even more deadly white than perhaps it really was. She stared straight at us without appearing to see us. We spoke to her, and she never answered a word. She might have been dead — like her husband — except that she perpetually picked at her fingers, and shuddered every now and then as if she was cold. I went to her and tried to lift her up. She shrank back with a cry that well-nigh frightened me — not because it was loud, but because it was more like the cry of some animal than of a human being. However quietly she might have behaved in the landlady's previous experience of her, she was beside herself now. I might have been moved by a natural pity for her, or I might have been completely upset in my mind — I only know this, I could not persuade myself that she was guilty. I even said to Mrs. Crosscapel, "I don't believe she did it."
While I spoke there was a knock at the door. I went downstairs at once, and admitted (to my great relief) the Inspector, accompanied by one of our men.
He waited downstairs to hear my report, and he approved of what I had done. "It looks as if the murder had been committed by somebody in the house." Saying this, he left the man below, and went up with me to the second floor.
Before he had been a minute in the room, he discovered an object which had escaped my observation.
It was the knife that had done the deed.
The doctor had found it left in the body — had withdrawn it to probe the wound — and had laid it on the bedside table. It was one of those useful knives which contain a saw, a corkscrew, and other like implements. The big blade fastened back, when open, with a spring. Except where the blood was on it, it was as bright as when it had been purchased. A small metal plate was fastened to the horn handle, containing an inscription, only partly engraved, which ran thus: "To John Zebedee, from — " There it stopped, strangely enough.
Who or what had interrupted the engraver's work? It was impossible even to guess. Nevertheless, the Inspector was encouraged.
"This ought to help us," he said — and then he gave an attentive ear (looking all the while at the poor creature in the corner) to what Mrs. Crosscapel had to tell him.
The landlady having done, he said he must now see the lodger who slept in the next bed-chamber.
Mr. Deluc made his appearance, standing at the door of the room, and turning away his head with horror from the sight inside.
He was wrapped in a splendid blue dressing-gown, with a golden girdle and trimmings. His scanty brownish hair curled (whether artificially or not, I am unable to say) in little ringlets. His complexion was yellow; his greenish-brown eyes were of the sort called "goggle" — they looked as if they might drop out of his face, if you held a spoon under them. His mustache and goat's beard were beautifully oiled; and, to complete his equipment, he had a long black cigar in his mouth.
"It isn't insensibility to this terrible tragedy," he explained. "My nerves have been shattered, Mr. Policeman, and I can only repair the mischief in this way. Be pleased to excuse and feel for me."
The Inspector questioned this witness sharply and closely. He was not a man to be misled by appearances; but I could see that he was far from liking, or even trusting, Mr. Deluc. Nothing came of the examination, except what Mrs. Crosscapel had in substance already mentioned to me. Mr. Deluc returned to his room.
"How long has he been lodging with you?" the Inspector asked, as soon as his back was turned.
"Nearly a year," the landlady answered.
"Did he give you a reference?"
"As good a reference as I could wish for." Thereupon, she mentioned the names of a well-known firm of cigar merchants in the city. The Inspector noted the information in his pocketbook.
I would rather not relate in detail what happened next: it is too distressing to be dwelt on. Let me only say that the poor demented woman was taken away in a cab to the station-house. The Inspector possessed himself of the knife, and of a book found on the floor, called "The World of Sleep." The portmanteau containing the luggage was locked — and then the door of the room was secured, the keys in both cases being left in my charge. My instructions were to remain in the house, and allow nobody to leave it, until I heard again shortly from the Inspector.
THE coroner's inquest was adjourned; and the examination before the magistrate ended in a remand — Mrs. Zebedee being in no condition to understand the proceedings in either case. The surgeon reported her to be completely prostrated by a terrible nervous shock. When he was asked if he considered her to have been a sane woman before the murder took place, he refused to answer positively at that time.
A week passed. The murdered man was buried; his old father attending the funeral. I occasionally saw Mrs. Crosscapel, and the two servants, for the purpose of getting such further information as was thought desirable. Both the cook and the housemaid had given their month's notice to quit; declining, in the interest of their characters, to remain in a house which had been the scene of a murder. Mr. Deluc's nerves led also to his removal; his rest was now disturbed by frightful dreams. He paid the necessary forfeit-money, and left without notice. The first-floor lodger, Mr. Barfield, kept his rooms, but obtained leave of absence from his employers, and took refuge with some friends in the country. Miss Mybus alone remained in the parlors. "When I am comfortable," the old lady said, "nothing moves me, at my age. A murder up two pairs of stairs is nearly the same thing as a murder in the next house. Distance, you see, makes all the difference."
It mattered little to the police what the lodgers did. We had men in plain clothes watching the house night and day. Everybody who went away was privately followed; and the police in the district to which they retired were warned to keep an eye on them, after that. As long as we failed to put Mrs. Zebedee's extraordinary statement to any sort of test — to say nothing of having proved unsuccessful, thus far, in tracing the knife to its purchaser — we were bound to let no person living under Mr. Crosscapel's roof, on the night of the murder, slip through our fingers.
IN a fortnight more, Mrs. Zebedee had sufficiently recovered to make the necessary statement — after the preliminary caution addressed to persons in such cases. The surgeon had no hesitation, now, in reporting her to be a sane woman.
Her station in life had been domestic service. She had lived for four years in her last place as lady's-maid, with a family residing in Dorsetshire. The one objection to her had been the occasional infirmity of sleep-walking, which made it necessary that one of the other female servants should sleep in the same room, with the door locked and the key under her pillow. In all other respects the lady's-maid was described by her mistress as "a perfect treasure."
In the last six months of her service, a young man named John Zebedee entered the house (with a written character) as a footman. He soon fell in love with the nice little lady's-maid, and she heartily returned the feeling. They might have waited for years before they were in a pecuniary position to marry, but for the death of Zebedee's uncle, who left him a little fortune of two thousand pounds. They were now, for persons in their station, rich enough to please themselves; and they were married from the house in which they had served together, the little daughters of the family showing their affection for Mrs. Zebedee by acting as her bridesmaids.
The young husband was a careful man. He decided to employ his small capital to the best advantage, by sheep-farming in Australia. His wife made no objection; she was ready to go wherever John went.
Accordingly they spent their short honeymoon in London, so as to see for themselves the vessel in which their passage was to be taken. They went to Mrs. Crosscapel's lodging-house because Zebedee's uncle had always stayed there when in London. Ten days were to pass before the day of embarkation arrived. This gave the young couple a welcome holiday, and a prospect of amusing themselves to their heart's content among the sights and shows of the great city.
On their first evening in London they went to the theater. They were both accustomed to the fresh air of the country, and they felt half stifled by the heat and the gas. However, they were so pleased with an amusement which was new to them that they went to another theater on the next evening. On this second occasion, John Zebedee found the heat unendurable. They left the theater, and got back to their lodgings toward ten o'clock.
Let the rest be told in the words used by Mrs. Zebedee herself. She said:
"We sat talking for a little while in our room, and John's headache got worse and worse. I persuaded him to go to bed, and I put out the candle (the fire giving sufficient light to undress by), so that he might the sooner fall asleep. But he was too restless to sleep. He asked me to read him something. Books always made him drowsy at the best of times.
"I had not myself begun to undress. So I lit the candle again, and I opened the only book I had. John had noticed it at the railway bookstall by the name of 'The World of Sleep.' He used to joke with me about my being a sleepwalker; and he said, 'Here's something that's sure to interest you' — and he made me a present of the book.
"Before I had read to him for more than half an hour he was fast asleep. Not feeling that way inclined, I went on reading to myself.
"The book did indeed interest me. There was one terrible story which took a hold on my mind — the story of a man who stabbed his own wife in a sleep-walking dream. I thought of putting down my book after that, and then changed my mind again and went on. The next chapters were not so interesting; they were full of learned accounts of why we fall asleep, and what our brains do in that state, and such like. It ended in my falling asleep, too, in my armchair by the fireside.
"I don't know what o'clock it was when I went to sleep. I don't know how long I slept, or whether I dreamed or not. The candle and the fire had both burned out, and it was pitch dark when I woke. I can't even say why I woke — unless it was the coldness of the room.
"There was a spare candle on the chimney-piece. I found the matchbox, and got a light. Then for the first time, I turned round toward the bed; and I saw — "
She had seen the dead body of her husband, murdered while she was unconsciously at his side — and she fainted, poor creature, at the bare remembrance of it.
The proceedings were adjourned. She received every possible care and attention; the chaplain looking after her welfare as well as the surgeon.
I have said nothing of the evidence of the landlady and servants. It was taken as a mere formality. What little they knew proved nothing against Mrs. Zebedee. The police made no discoveries that supported her first frantic accusation of herself. Her master and mistress, where she had been last in service, spoke of her in the highest terms. We were at a complete deadlock.
It had been thought best not to surprise Mr. Deluc, as yet, by citing him as a witness. The action of the law was, however, hurried in this case by a private communication received from the chaplain.
After twice seeing, and speaking with, Mrs. Zebedee, the reverend gentleman was persuaded that she had no more to do than himself with the murder of her husband. He did not consider that he was justified in repeating a confidential communication — he would only recommend that Mr. Deluc should be summoned to appear at the next examination. This advice was followed.
The police had no evidence against Mrs. Zebedee when the inquiry was resumed. To assist the ends of justice she was now put into the witness-box. The discovery of her murdered husband, when she woke in the small hours of the morning, was passed over as rapidly as possible. Only three questions of importance were put to her.
First, the knife was produced. Had she ever seen it in her husband's possession? Never. Did she know anything about it? Nothing whatever.
Secondly: Did she, or did her husband, lock the bedroom door when they returned from the theater? No. Did she afterward lock the door herself? No.
Thirdly: Had she any sort of reason to give for supposing that she had murdered her husband in a sleep-walking dream? No reason, except that she was beside herself at the time, and the book put the thought into her head.
After this the other witnesses were sent out of court The motive for the chaplain's communication now appeared. Mrs. Zebedee was asked if anything unpleasant had occurred between Mr. Deluc and herself.
Yes. He had caught her alone on the stairs at the lodging-house; had presumed to make love to her; and had carried the insult still farther by attempting to kiss her. She had slapped his face, and had declared that her husband should know of it, if his misconduct was repeated. He was in a furious rage at having his face slapped; and he said to her: "Madam, you may live to regret this."
After consultation, and at the request of our Inspector, it was decided to keep Mr. Deluc in ignorance of Mrs. Zebedee's statement for the present. When the witnesses were recalled, he gave the same evidence which he had already given to the Inspector — and he was then asked if he knew anything of the knife. He looked at it without any guilty signs in his face, and swore that he had never seen it until that moment. The resumed inquiry ended, and still nothing had been discovered.
But we kept an eye on Mr. Deluc. Our next effort was to try if we could associate him with the purchase of the knife.
Here again (there really did seem to be a sort of fatality in this case) we reached no useful result. It was easy enough to find out the wholesale cutlers, who had manufactured the knife at Sheffield, by the mark on the blade. But they made tens of thousands of such knives, and disposed of them to retail dealers all over Great Britain — to say nothing of foreign parts. As to finding out the person who had engraved the imperfect inscription (without knowing where, or by whom, the knife had been purchased) we might as well have looked for the proverbial needle in the bundle of hay. Our last resource was to have the knife photographed, with the inscribed side uppermost, and to send copies to every police-station in the kingdom.
At the same time we reckoned up Mr. Deluc — I mean that we made investigations into his past life — on the chance that he and the murdered man might have known each other, and might have had a quarrel, or a rivalry about a woman, on some former occasion. No such discovery rewarded us.
We found Deluc to have led a dissipated life, and to have mixed with very bad company. But he had kept out of reach of the law. A man may be a profligate vagabond; may insult a lady; may say threatening things to her, in the first stinging sensation of having his face slapped — but it doesn't follow from these blots on his character that he has murdered her husband in the dead of the night.
Once more, then, when we were called upon to report ourselves, we had no evidence to produce. The photographs failed to discover the owner of the knife, and to explain its interrupted inscription. Poor Mrs. Zebedee was allowed to go back to her friends, on entering into her own recognizance to appear again if called upon. Articles in the newspapers began to inquire how many more murderers would succeed in baffling the police. The authorities at the Treasury offered a reward of a hundred pounds for the necessary information. And the weeks passed and nobody claimed the reward.
Our Inspector was not a man to be easily beaten. More inquiries and examinations followed. It is needless to say anything about them. We were defeated — and there, so far as the police and the public were concerned, was an end of it.
The assassination of the poor young husband soon passed out of notice, like other undiscovered murders. One obscure person only was foolish enough, in his leisure hours, to persist in trying to solve the problem of Who Killed Zebedee? He felt that he might rise to the highest position in the police force if he succeeded where his elders and betters had failed — and he held to his own little ambition, though everybody laughed at him. In plain English, I was the man.
WITHOUT meaning it, I have told my story ungratefully.
There were two persons who saw nothing ridiculous in my resolution to continue the investigation, single-handed. One of them was Miss Mybus; and the other was the cook, Priscilla Thurlby.
Mentioning the lady first, Miss Mybus was indignant at the resigned manner in which the police accepted their defeat. She was a little bright-eyed wiry woman; and she spoke her mind freely.
"This comes home to me," she said. "Just look back for a year or two. I can call to mind two cases of persons found murdered in London — and the assassins have never been traced. I am a person, too; and I ask myself if my turn is not coming next. You're a nice-looking fellow and I like your pluck and perseverance. Come here as often as you think right; and say you are my visitor, if they make any difficulty about letting you in. One thing more! I have nothing particular to do, and I am no fool. Here, in the parlors, I see everybody who comes into the house or goes out of the house. Leave me your address — I may get some information for you yet."
With the best intentions, Miss Mybus found no opportunity of helping me. Of the two, Priscilla Thurlby seemed more likely to be of use.
In the first place, she was sharp and active, and (not having succeeded in getting another situation as yet) was mistress of her own movements.
In the second place, she was a woman I could trust. Before she left home to try domestic service in London, the parson of her native parish gave her a written testimonial, of which I append a copy. Thus it ran:
"I gladly recommend Priscilla Thurlby for any respectable employment which she may be competent to undertake. Her father and mother are infirm old people, who have lately suffered a diminution of their income; and they have a younger daughter to maintain. Rather than be a burden on her parents, Priscilla goes to London to find domestic employment, and to devote her earnings to the assistance of her father and mother. This circumstance speaks for itself. I have known the family many years; and I only regret that I have no vacant place in my own household which I can offer to this good girl,
(Signed) "HENRY DEERINGTON, Rector of Roth."
After reading those words, I could safely ask Priscilla to help me in reopening the mysterious murder case to some good purpose.
My notion was that the proceedings of the persons in Mrs. Crosscapel's house had not been closely enough inquired into yet. By way of continuing the investigation, I asked Priscilla if she could tell me anything which associated the housemaid with Mr. Deluc. She was unwilling to answer. "I may be casting suspicion on an innocent person," she said. "Besides, I was for so short a time the housemaid's fellow servant — "
"You slept in the same room with her," I remarked; "and you had opportunities of observing her conduct toward the lodgers. If they had asked you, at the examination, what I now ask, you would have answered as an honest woman."
To this argument she yielded. I heard from her certain particulars, which threw a new light on Mr. Deluc, and on the case generally. On that information I acted. It was slow work, owing to the claims on me of my regular duties; but with Priscilla's help, I steadily advanced toward the end I had in view.
Besides this, I owed another obligation to Mrs. Crosscapel's nice-looking cook. The confession must be made sooner or later — and I may as well make it now. I first knew what love was, thanks to Priscilla. I had delicious kisses, thanks to Priscilla. And, when I asked if she would marry me, she didn't say No. She looked, I must own, a little sadly, and she said: "How can two such poor people as we are ever hope to marry?" To this I answered: "It won't be long before I lay my hand on the clew which my Inspector has failed to find. I shall be in a position to marry you, my dear, when that time comes."
At our next meeting we spoke of her parents. I was now her promised husband. Judging by what I had heard of the proceedings of other people in my position, it seemed to be only right that I should be made known to her father and mother. She entirely agreed with me; and she wrote home that day to tell them to expect us at the end of the week.
I took my turn of night-duty, and so gained my liberty for the greater part of the next day. I dressed myself in plain clothes, and we took our tickets on the railway for Yateland, being the nearest station to the village in which Priscilla's parents lived.
THE train stopped, as usual, at the big town of Waterbank. Supporting herself by her needle, while she was still unprovided with a situation, Priscilla had been at work late in the night — she was tired and thirsty. I left the carriage to get her some soda-water. The stupid girl in the refreshment room failed to pull the cork out of the bottle, and refused to let me help her. She took a corkscrew, and used it crookedly. I lost all patience, and snatched the bottle out of her hand. Just as I drew the cork, the bell rang on the platform. I only waited to pour the soda-water into a glass — but the train was moving as I left the refreshment room. The porters stopped me when I tried to jump on to the step of the carriage. I was left behind.
As soon as I had recovered my temper, I looked at the time-table. We had reached Waterbank at five minutes past one. By good luck, the next train was due at forty-four minutes past one, and arrived at Yateland (the next station) ten minutes afterward. I could only hope that Priscilla would look at the time-table too, and wait for me. If I had attempted to walk the distance between the two places, I should have lost time instead of saving it. The interval before me was not very long; I occupied it in looking over the town.
Speaking with all due respect to the inhabitants, Waterbank (to other people) is a dull place. I went up one street and down another — and stopped to look at a shop which struck me; not from anything in itself, but because it was the only shop in the street with the shutters closed.
A bill was posted on the shutters, announcing that the place was to let. The outgoing tradesman's name and business, announced in the customary painted letters, ran thus: James Wycomb, Cutler, etc.
For the first time, it occurred to me that we had forgotten an obstacle in our way, when we distributed our photographs of the knife. We had none of us remembered that a certain proportion of cutlers might be placed, by circumstances, out of our reach — either by retiring from business or by becoming bankrupt. I always carried a copy of the photograph about me; and I thought to myself, "Here is the ghost of a chance of tracing the knife to Mr. Deluc!"
The shop door was opened, after I had twice rung the bell, by an old man, very dirty and very deaf. He said "You had better go upstairs, and speak to Mr. Scorrier — top of the house."
I put my lips to the old fellow's ear-trumpet, and asked who Mr. Scorrier was.
"Brother-in-law to Mr. Wycomb. Mr. Wycomb's dead. If you want to buy the business apply to Mr. Scorrier."
Receiving that reply, I went upstairs, and found Mr. Scorrier engaged in engraving a brass door-plate. He was a middle-aged man, with a cadaverous face and dim eyes After the necessary apologies, I produced my photograph.
"May I ask, sir, if you know anything of the inscription on that knife?" I said.
He took his magnifying glass to look at it.
"This is curious," he remarked quietly. "I remember the queer name — Zebedee. Yes, sir; I did the engraving, as far as it goes. I wonder what prevented me from finishing it?"
The name of Zebedee, and the unfinished inscription on the knife, had appeared in every English newspaper. He took the matter so coolly that I was doubtful how to interpret his answer. Was it possible that he had not seen the account of the murder? Or was he an accomplice with prodigious powers of self-control?
"Excuse me," I said, "do you read the newspapers?"
"Never! My eyesight is failing me. I abstain from reading, in the interests of my occupation."
"Have you not heard the name of Zebedee mentioned — particularly by people who do read the newspapers?"
"Very likely; but I didn't attend to it. When the day's work is done, I take my walk. Then I have my supper, my drop of grog, and my pipe. Then I go to bed. A dull existence you think, I daresay! I had a miserable life, sir, when I was young. A bare subsistence, and a little rest, before the last perfect rest in the grave — that is all I want. The world has gone by me long ago. So much the better."
The poor man spoke honestly. I was ashamed of having doubted him. I returned to the subject of the knife.
"Do you know where it was purchased, and by whom?" I asked.
"My memory is not so good as it was," he said; "but I have got something by me that helps it."
He took from a cupboard a dirty old scrapbook. Strips of paper, with writing on them, were pasted on the pages, as well as I could see. He turned to an index, or table of contents, and opened a page. Something like a flash of life showed itself on his dismal face.
"Ha! now I remember," he said. "The knife was bought of my late brother-in-law, in the shop downstairs. It all comes back to me, sir. A person in a state of frenzy burst into this very room, and snatched the knife away from me, when I was only half way through the inscription!"
I felt that I was now close on discovery. "May I see what it is that has assisted your memory?" I asked.
"Oh yes. You must know, sir, I live by engraving inscriptions and addresses, and I paste in this book the manuscript instructions which I receive, with marks of my own on the margin. For one thing, they serve as a reference to new customers. And for another thing, they do certainly help my memory."
He turned the book toward me, and pointed to a slip of paper which occupied the lower half of a page.
I read the complete inscription, intended for the knife that killed Zebedee, and written as follows:
"To John Zebedee. From Priscilla Thurlby."
I DECLARE that it is impossible for me to describe what I felt when Priscilla's name confronted me like a written confession of guilt. How long it was before I recovered myself in some degree, I cannot say. The only thing I can clearly call to mind is, that I frightened the poor engraver.
My first desire was to get possession of the manuscript inscription. I told him I was a policeman, and summoned him to assist me in the discovery of a crime. I even offered him money. He drew back from my hand. "You shall have it for nothing," he said, "if you will only go away and never come here again." He tried to cut it out of the page — but his trembling hands were helpless. I cut it out myself, and attempted to thank him. He wouldn't hear me. "Go away!" he said, "I don't like the look of you."
It may be here objected that I ought not to have felt so sure as I did of the woman's guilt, until I had got more evidence against her. The knife might have been stolen from her, supposing she was the person who had snatched it out of the engraver's hands, and might have been afterward used by the thief to commit the murder. All very true. But I never had a moment's doubt in my own mind, from the time when I read the damnable line in the engraver's book.
I went back to the railway without any plan in my head. The train by which I had proposed to follow her had left Waterbank. The next train that arrived was for London. I took my place in it — still without any plan in my head.
At Charing Cross a friend met me. He said, "You're looking miserably ill. Come and have a drink."
I went with him. The liquor was what I really wanted; it strung me up, and cleared my head. He went his way, and I went mine. In a little while more, I determined what I would do.
In the first place, I decided to resign my situation in the police, from a motive which will presently appear. In the second place, I took a bed at a public-house. She would no doubt return to London, and she would go to my lodgings to find out why I had broken my appointment. To bring to justice the one woman whom I had dearly loved was too cruel a duty for a poor creature like me. I preferred leaving the police force. On the other hand, if she and I met before time had helped me to control myself, I had a horrid fear that I might turn murderer next, and kill her then and there. The wretch had not only all but misled me into marrying her, but also into charging the innocent housemaid with being concerned in the murder.
The same night I hit on a way of clearing up such doubts as still harassed my mind. I wrote to the rector of Roth, informing him that I was engaged to marry her, and asking if he would tell me (in consideration of my position) what her former relations might have been with the person named John Zebedee.
By return of post I got this reply:
"SIR— Under the circumstances, I think I am bound to tell you confidentially what the friends and well-wishers of Priscilla have kept secret, for her sake.
"Zebedee was in service in this neighborhood. I am sorry to say it, of a man who has come to such a miserable end — but his behavior to Priscilla proves him to have been a vicious and heartless wretch. They were engaged — and, I add with indignation, he tried to seduce her under a promise of marriage. Her virtue resisted him, and he pretended to be ashamed of himself. The banns were published in my church. On the next day Zebedee disappeared, and cruelly deserted her. He was a capable servant; and I believe he got another place. I leave you to imagine what the poor girl suffered under the outrage inflicted on her. Going to London, with my recommendation, she answered the first advertisement that she saw, and was unfortunate enough to begin her career in domestic service in the very lodging-house to which (as I gather from the newspaper report of the murder) the man Zebedee took the person whom he married, after deserting Priscilla. Be assured that you are about to unite yourself to an excellent girl, and accept my best wishes for your happiness."
It was plain from this that neither the rector nor the parents and friends knew anything of the purchase of the knife. The one miserable man who knew the truth was the man who had asked her to be his wife.
I owed it to myself — at least so it seemed to me — not to let it be supposed that I, too, had meanly deserted her. Dreadful as the prospect was, I felt that I must see her once more, and for the last time.
She was at work when I went into her room. As I opened the door she started to her feet. Her cheeks reddened, and her eyes flashed with anger. I stepped forward — and she saw my face. My face silenced her.
I spoke in the fewest words I could find.
"I have been to the cutler's shop at Waterbank," I said. "There is the unfinished inscription on the knife, complete in your handwriting. I could hang you by a word. God forgive me — I can't say the word."
Her bright complexion turned to a dreadful clay-color. Her eyes were fixed and staring, like the eyes of a person in a fit. She stood before me, still and silent. Without saying more, I dropped the inscription into the fire. Without saying more, I left her.
I never saw her again.
BUT I heard from her a few days later. The letter has long since been burned. I wish I could have forgotten it as well. It sticks to my memory. If I die with my senses about me, Priscilla's letter will be my last recollection on earth.
In substance it repeated what the rector had already told me. Further, it informed me that she had bought the knife as a keepsake for Zebedee, in place of a similar knife which he had lost. On the Saturday, she made the purchase, and left it to be engraved. On the Sunday, the banns were put up. On the Monday, she was deserted; and she snatched the knife from the table while the engraver was at work.
She only knew that Zebedee had added a new sting to the insult inflicted on her when he arrived at the lodgings with his wife. Her duties as cook kept her in the kitchen — and Zebedee never discovered that she was in the house. I still remember the last lines of her confession:
"The devil entered into me when I tried their door, on my way up to bed, and found it unlocked, and listened a while, and peeped in. I saw them by the dying light of the candle — one asleep on the bed, the other asleep by the fireside. I had the knife in my hand, and the thought came to me to do it, so that they might hang her for the murder. I couldn't take the knife out again, when I had done it. Mind this! I did really like you — I didn't say Yes, because you could hardly hang your own wife, if you found out who killed Zebedee."
Since the past time I have never heard again of Priscilla Thurlby; I don't know whether she is living or dead. Many people may think I deserve to be hanged myself for not having given her up to the gallows. They may, perhaps, be disappointed when they see this confession, and hear that I have died decently in my bed. I don't blame them. I am a penitent sinner. I wish all merciful Christians good-by forever.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Little Novels, by Wilkie Collins
This web edition published by:
The University of Adelaide Library
University of Adelaide
South Australia 5005
Last updated Sunday, March 27, 2016 at 11:52


text:
The day has finally come - you are five!
Wonderful colourful strong beautiful sensitive Freja: You are an adventure. We are so happy and so lucky to share this life with you. You spice up our days with your feistiness, wicked sense of humour, creativity and uninhibited love. Your love of nature and the way you care for everyone around you touches our hearts. You are a magical mystery!
Happy birthday Freja, we love you so.


text:
Key Events
Thank you and goodbye
Right, chaps and chapettes, that's your lot from me.
Sorry I couldn't preside over a better day.
I will be back to brighten the world up tomorrow morning. Until then, stay safe.
Watch: Everton fans react to Arsenal loss
Home defeats
Social media round-up
Tony Bellew sums up the vast majority of Blues here...
Roberto slams 'fearful' Blues
Baines: We lacked quality
He's not wrong
"When you go behind against Arsenal, it becomes more difficult.
"We showed plenty of huff and puff but we just didn't have the quality in the final third.
"We fully accept the responsibility of the disappointment of the crowd. We are generally not winning enough games."
Martinez speaks
Tony Bellew is fuming
Wenger on the game
The Arsenal boss is in first for his press conference
Ian Doyle fanmail
Greg O'Keeffe analysis
Greg's on form here. Unlike Everton.
Martinez on back three
We never coped with the movement of Arsenal. To have an extra man there could help us to build a starting point in our play.
It was a little better in the second half, but it wasn't enough.
Seven days ago is the perfect example of what we want and what we should be. But we didn't match that.
Martinez talks
Martinez talking to BT
"We looked like the team that had had the extra game. It's very disappointing.
"There is no excuse to perform in the manner that we did. Arsenal were better than us in every single performance."
"It's not lack of quality. The reality is that the performance today is a disappointment. Arsenal had good focus and intent and we didn't turn up. We haven't performed that badly this season.
Grim reading for Evertonians
Player Ratings
Ouch. That's all I'm saying.
Some would argue Doyley has been generous.
Full time report
Here's your on-the-whistle report from Phil Kirkbride
Full time: Everton 0-2 Arsenal
That's that. More boos at the final whistle.
Abject performance from Everton. They got exactly what they deserved.
Giroud chance
Giroud played in on his left foot, but hits the sidenetting. That would have rubbed salt in the wounds.
Man of the Match
Michael Owen gives MOTM to Alex Iwobi.
No contenders in Blue.
Lukaku chance
Lukaku with a header from a Funes Mori cross. Gets a decent contact but straight into Ospina's grasp.
How bad?
Sub: Chambers on for Iwobi
He's been good, the teenager
Everton have lacked fight
We had The Drifters at half-time and this game is now drifting towards a conclusion that looks very much like an away win.
Even when Arsenal were winning 4-1 and 6-1 here back in the day, they were surely given more of a workout than this. Everton have lacked any sense of fight.
Mind you, six minutes plus injury time, it's possible you know
Goal disallowed for Arsenal
Giroud has the ball in the net from a corner, but Clattenburg has already whistled for a block by Iwobi on Jagielka.
Clatts ignores a clattering
Lukaku starved of service
Kick off (ish)
Coquelin and Coleman getting involved in a bit of argy-bargy.
That's about as feisty as this game gets.
Rate that
More fours than England yesterday at the T20....


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I'm finally giving the sewing machine another try and made these fabric soft-cover journals.
Love the vibrant fabric with such beautiful colours.
I covered the inside with bright papers and put gorgeous washi tape down the spines.
Here's my favourite cover:
Then I added the pages in the junk journal style with a variety of different papers.
Here's an example of what they look like:
I tried to match the colour of the pages with the cover. So this one has blue, pink and purples pages, while the turquoise and blue covers have turquoise, blue and green pages.
I've made quite a few of them and will give some as gifts, but there are also some available if you're interested in purchasing one. Just let me know the size and colour you would like and I can put it up in my Etsy. Or paypal and direct deposit for Aussies are also available.


text:
The Tool, Die, Mould-making and precision engineering sectors will take centerstage at the 5th edition of South African Automotive Week from October 11-13 2016 at the Tshwane Events Centre.
Speaking after the launch of the Eastern Cape Tooling Initiative (ECTI) in Port Elizabeth in April, Inkanyezi Events CEO Andrew Binning said the sector would be showcased alongside the automotive supply chain as part of the co-hosted confex, titled TDM Africa.
TDM Africa is supported by TASA and has developed a strategic alliance with German Tooling Association VDWF and Moulding Expo International Trade Fair, through which international tooling experts have been invited to address conference delegates.
Also speaking at the launch of the ECTI, National Tooling Initiative Executive Chair Bob Williamson reinforced the need for greater collaboration between the TDM and automotive manufacturing sectors.
"There is no such thing as manufacturing without tooling. 60% of the efficiency of a manufactured product is based on the selection of tool used."
Williamson said the ability to develop bespoke tooling for specific manufacturing needs was essential for South Africa's manufacturing growth.
He urged manufacturers to get involved in issues pertaining to the TDM sector.
"Any business that is in manufacturing is in the tooling business. If you are not, you are open to attack. Local tooling must be developed to provide industry with options to make products more efficient."
Binning said given the importance of new business (diversification) and the direct relationship of volumes (economies of scale) on quality, cost and delivery of manufactured components – from body panels and wiring to pistons and springs – the manufacturing supply chains for the Automotive, Aviation, Military, Railway, Mining and Renewable Energy sectors, have much to gain from synergy.
Synergy, which is one of the key themes of South African Automotive Week, through shared learnings or through the opportunity of providing locally manufactured components across sectors may make a fresh contribution to:
– increased localisation of components for each sector, growing spend with local business and
– the identification and empowerment of black-owned manufacturers and policy compliance within each sector, which is a critical manufacturing concern
Collectively 56% of exhibitors concluded deals valued above R50 000 at the previous South African Automotive Week. Of that total, 15% netted deals valued between R100 000 and R500 000 and 21% concluded deals at the event above R500 000,Binning said.
1414 meetings were scheduled between buyers and sellers on the match-making programme between 968 profiled organisations.
The Week is actively supported by a range of automotive roleplayers including Plastics SA, The Aluminium Federation of South Africa, merSETA, NAAMSA, TASA the IDC, The Exporters Club, the AIEC, organised business, KZN Invest, the ECDC, SEDA and the AIDC among others.
Article source: http://www.nmbbusinesschamber.co.za/blog/posts/tool-die-and-mould-making-at-south-african-automotive-week