Saturday, January 30, 2010

For the Love of Fantasy

What better time of year, as valentines are everywhere we look, to indulge in a little fantasy. Some readers of Victoria may remember an article back in 1991 about Debbie Schramer and her delightful fairy furniture. For the longest time, I kept a wee chair on the bookshelf behind my desk. If a fairy were to come to 224 West 57th Street, they would have had a welcome place to roost.I think a wide-eyed child visited one day, and the chair found a new home. It was very fragile, but I think anyone who would fall in love with it would take good care of its delicacy.

What a pleasure to hear from Debbie on this blog and know that she and Mike are still making little chairs like mine--and so much more. It was a special satisfaction to see how folks grew after they were featured in Victoria. Debbie started her magical enterprise the same year Victoria was launched in 1987, so the magazine was early to hop on her "tiny" bandwagon.

One can only marvel at the enchanted treehouse Debbie and Mike created for their recent film. Don't we all wish we could inhabit such a land for even an hour? You can visit the Schramers in fairyland on the film's web site. And another place I was enchanted by is their enterprise of making fairy furniture for children--with children having the satisfaction of creating something unique and endearing.

Valentines don't all have to be heart-shaped, they can come in a flight of fantasy like a fairy bed crafted of flowers, branches, and mosses. To say I love you with the work a person loves to do is
my idea of a delicious valentine. Again, thanks to Debbie for finding me again and sharing her art, her passion, and her dedication to the love of fantasy.


5 comments:

  1. Oh, How I have admired Debbies work!-- and how very lucky she is to have her Husband working with her on this venture. It is so wonderful to see someone-"Do what they love-& the money will follow." I have a book with that title and have always thought that it would take a lot of courage- am glad to see such an adorable Art would be such a success!--

    Speaking of Passion- Valentines Day is my very favorite holiday,& also our Wedding Anniversary. I love everything about it,& really enjoyed seeing this post.-Love,Valery

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  2. I loved Debbie's art back then. I remember perusing those pages back then, so had to look at it again after reading their website. Wonderful! (: Vicki

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  3. Debbie and Mike's chairs are so whimsical! How nice to know they are still bringing enjoyment to others with their art.

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  4. I remember her fairy furniture and just drooled over it. I still have those fantasies in my head. They are beautiful!

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  5. Nancy, I just have to tell you that I have had a fantastic time looking through my January and February Victorias from 1990, 1999, and 2000 this week. It is such a comforting thing to go through those lovely pages even though I have been there before. And the content is just as interesting to me today as it was when I first read them. I loved the different whites of the January issues with the camellia features and of course the "love" theme of the February issues along with the features on roses. I had a tough January health-wise, and it seems to calm me and make my world feel right just to be able to pick up those lovely issues and read them. I will have to pull out my 1991 issue and re-read the article about Debbie. As for a fitting valentine, I just shipped off an original piece of artwork I did for a friend to give her husband for Valentine's Day. It's a drawing of their home which he had built especially for her a few years back. I think gifts like that --from the heart-- are the only ones worth giving.

    Blessings,
    Christi

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