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Newsletter
April
2006
Letter
From The Editor
There has been so
much happening in the world of Limited
Edition collecting that it's hard
to believe that Easter is right
around the corner. The BIG news
is that ALL collectibles made by
Reco International and Islandia
are now retired. Those two companies
are no longer making Limited Edition
Collectibles. Our stock of plates
made by Islandia have been being
scooped up by collectors faster
than we can ship them and now our
stock of plates and figurines by
Reco International are starting
to go also. We still have small
numbers of those collectibles left,
but it won't be long before they
are all gone forever, and they will
only be obtainable on the secondary
market.
The first Islandia plates to go,
of course, were the Norman Rockwell
plates. Wise collectors started
buying those plates up early. Rockwell
is one of the most beloved of American
artists and his art has always been
highly collectible. Norman Rockwell
will be May's Artist of the Month.
You can read his 'Artist's Profile'
in our May newsletter. You may want
to visit the Norman
Rockwell Plate Gallery page,
that we created in his honor, to
view some of his most popular works
of art. You may also want to visit
his figurine
page to get in on the last few
Norman Rockwell figurines we have
left in stock.
Sandra
Kuck plates are also flying
out the door faster than we can
ship them. Sandra has always been
popular, but now collectors are
buying up her plates at a feverish
rate. Many of her older plates
were already hard to find, but
now that problem is quickly extending
to her more recent work as well.
As you probably already know,
her heavenly angels also adorn
wonderful figurines
and exquisite ornaments.
They too are ALL now retired and
will no longer be available once
our stock runs out.
The big news at The
Plate Lady
®
is that we are now offering the enchantingly beautiful Vivian
Alexander Collection on our website. Vivian Alexander is
America's foremost Faberge-style artist and the original
creator of the 'Egg Purse'. She hand crafted the magnificent
'Imperial Coronation Egg' that was shipped to Rome and used
in Warner Brother's Ocean's 12 film. Her Imperial Easter
Egg replica rivals the original Egg that was presented by
Tsar Nicholas II to his wife the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
at Easter in 1897. Vivian Alexander is our Artist of the
Month for April. You can read her 'Artist's
Profile' below and see her exquisite eggs on our Vivian
Alexander Gallery page.
In
this month's newsletter we have
included three articles on decorating
Easter Eggs with natural plant
dyes and other natural materials.
The first article "Natural
Easter Eggs" explains
what plant materials can be used
to make dyes and how to prepare
them. The Second article "Easter
Eggs Grow Up" discusses
ways to create Easter decorations
with natural materials, and the
Third article "Easter
Dyes Start Naturally"
describes ways to imprint leaves,
flowers, and other natural findings
onto your eggs for a special unique
touch. We hope that you enjoy
the articles we found for you
and that your Easter holiday will
be uplifting.
Happy Easter From
The Plate Lady
®
of Tampa Bay Staff!
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Artist's
Profile:
Vivian Alexander
Vivian
Alexander is a world renowned
artist from Maurice, Louisiana.
She creates modern day Faberge
treasures from silver, goose,
ostrich and other types of eggs
in the tradition of Peter Carl
Faberge, the Russian goldsmith
and jeweler who created treasures
for Russian Czars to give as presents
to those who were dear to them.
She created the replica of the
Imperial Coronation Egg that was
used in the 2004 film "Ocean's
12". She was also the original
creator of the Egg Purse.
Licenced
by The Forbes Collection to make
Romanov-inspired frames and Faberge-inspired
eggs in the guilloche style, Vivian's
designs are intricately fashioned
into hand crafted works of art
that incorporate pure .999 silver,
sterile ostrich (rhea) eggs, goose
eggs, pewter, prong-set Swarovski
Austrian crystals, silver &
gold findings, and gemstones.
The result is ornaments, eggs,
egg boxes, egg purses, clocks,
cardholders, frames and other
beautiful decorative items of
unmistakable quality and craftsmanship
that mirror rare antique Russian
treasures of Romanov period art.
The
highlight of Vivian Alexander's
collection is her recently released
series of Limited Edition, pure
silver, guilloche style ornaments.
Each ornament is hand numbered
and limited to only 200 worldwide.
The guilloche technique was adapted
and perfected by Peter Carl Fabergé
in the late 1800, early 1900 era.
It is a surface treatment in which
waves and striations are engraved
on an object's metal surface.
Then the object is fired in an
oven after each of several layers
of translucent enamel. The enameling
process used by Vivian Alexander,
to coat eggs and silver, is proprietary
and recognized as the highest
quality in the United States.
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Natural Easter
Eggs
Natural
Health by Kirsten Whatley &
Katherine Gallia
IF
YOU'RE PLANNING to dye Easter eggs,
you should know that there's a better
option than those conventional crayon-colored
tablets. Nature offers many dyes
that are rich with character.
The technique is simple:
Place a single layer of uncooked
white eggs in a quart pot. Add 2
cups of fresh dye plants (or 1 cup
of dried plants or 1/4 cup of ground
herbs) and cover with tepid water.
Then add 2 tablespoons of white
vinegar. Over a medium-low flame,
bring water to a gentle boil. Reduce
heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Carefully remove eggs from the dye
bath, rinse with cold water, and
air dry.
SHREDDED
RED CABBAGE = Midnight
blue and teal |
CONCORD
GRAPE JUICE
= Lavender gray |
GROUND
COFFEE =
Creamy
brown |
CINNAMON
POWDER = Light
mahogany |
TURMERIC
= Vivid
gold |
BLACK
TEA = Reddish
tan |
BEET
ROOT
= Reddish brown |
CARROT
TOPS = Soft
gold |
BLACKBERRIES
= Plum |
BLUEBERRIES
= Deep blue |
PAPRIKA
= Light
orange |
SPINACH
= Soft green |
COPYRIGHT
1999 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
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Easter
eggs grow up
Southern
Living, by Ellen Riley
Bright
colors, secret hiding places, diligent
searches, and gleeful gatherngs
give eggs a new purpose at Easter.
A symbol of life, these orbs can
also be used to celebrate spring.
Colored with natural dyes, eggs
take on rich tones that complement
spring flowers. The kitchen is full
of hues a clean white egg can proudly
wear. Fully cooked, they can remain
at room temperature for about five
days. Note: They will not be safe
for consumption; use them only for
decoration.
A ROBIN WOULD BE PROUD
You can make a magnificent shade
of blue with red cabbage. Purchase
two small heads, and coarsely shred
them. Place cut cabbage in a large
pot; add 8 tablespoons of white
vinegar and 4 quarts of water. Carefully
tuck uncooked eggs into the cabbage,
making sure they're completely submerged.
Bring to a boil; then cover and
turn off the heat. Leave the container
undisturbed overnight. The next
day, rinse and dry the eggs.
EARTH TONES
Empty shells dye as easily as whole
eggs, and can be used as tiny pots
for blooming seedlings. Open the
egg toward the top, leaving a large
bottom half. For rich brown shells,
place them in a large pot with 1
quart double-strength coffee and
2 tablespoons white vinegar. (Tip:
Gently hold down the empty shell
until it fills with liquid; otherwise,
it will float.) Cover the eggs with
an inch of liquid; if needed, double
the liquid recipe. Bring to a boil,
and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from
heat, and soak for several hours;
rinse and drain.
Golden eggs aren't a fairy tale.
Turmeric, a spice used in Middle
Eastern cuisine, will cloak an egg
in earthy yellow. Use 3 tablespoons
turmeric, 2 tablespoons white vinegar,
and 1 quart of water to make the
dye. Eggs should be covered with
at least 1 inch of liquid. Place
whole eggs or shells in the brew,
and bring to a boil. Simmer for
5 minutes; remove from heat, and
soak until cool. Rinse well, and
dry before using.
FLOWERY FINISH
For a springtime centerpiece, line
a nursery flat with foil, and fill
it with moist potting soil. Sprinkle
wheat grass seeds on top, and keep
the surface slightly damp until
the seed sprouts. In about a week
you will have a thick mat of grass.
Attach sheet moss to the outside
of the flat with a glue gun.
To make a viola vase, harvest fresh,
unblemished violas, and dry them.
Then break an egg close to the top,
rinse it, and dry. A dab of hot
glue on each dried flower will secure
it to the shell. Space the blooms
so a bit of shell shows between
them. Carefully fill the viola vases
with water, and nestle them in the
grass. Clip small spring blossoms
from the garden for your miniature
arrangements. Ellen Riley
Copyright Southern Progress Corporation
Apr 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information
and Learning Company.
All rights Reserved
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Easter
dyes start naturally
Sunset
by Peter O. Whitely & Chantell
Cordova
Leaves,
flowers, and vegetables give surprising
patterns with rich colors when
printed on eggs.
The delicate silhouettes of leaves
and flowers from your garden can
be framed by colors made from
surprising but natural sources
such as onion skins, walnut shells,
beets, or red cabbage. When you
combine their earthy hues with
simple plant shapes, you get eggs
that are fun to find--their natural
hues help them blend into their
hiding places--and almost too
elegant to eat.
The low-cost project takes only
a few hours to complete. Young
children can collect leaves, grasses,
and flowers. Ask them to select
only flat and pliable plant material
that is no bigger than an egg.
Adults or older children can make
the dyes. Assemble the skins of
six yellow onions, the shells
of a dozen walnuts, half of a
small red cabbage (cut up) and
six beets (sliced). You'll also
need four pots to hold at least
2 quarts of water each.
The onion-skin dye will turn eggs
yellowish brown; the walnut dye
makes deep reddish browns; the
cabbage turns white eggs robin's-egg
blue and brown eggs greenish blue;
and the beet dye creates a light
pink color.
To create a pattern, you need
to hold a leaf or other piece
of vegetation firmly against the
eggshell so that no dye will seep
underneath. The secret is to center
the leaf on a 4-inch square cut
from a nylon stocking and bind
the square firmly around an egg
by gathering the corners, pulling
them tight, and tying them with
string; a second pair of hands
can help.
Place one pile of dye ingredients
in each pot; add water and 2 tablespoons
of white vinegar. Bring the pots
to a boil and completely immerse
the wrapped eggs; you may need
to press them down into the vegetation
with a spoon. Simmer them, uncovered,
for about 20 minutes. Remove the
eggs to cool, and let the dyes
cool. For stronger colors--immerse
eggs in dye again and let stand
overnight in the refrigerator.
Remove
and discard vegetation, remove
the nylon and leaves, and dry
the eggs. Rub each egg with a
light coat of olive or salad oil.
Wipe eggs dry and buff to bring
out highlights.
COPYRIGHT 1992 Sunset Publishing
Corp.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
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