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Fraktur is a beautiful art that grew out of the German and Mennonite culture of the east (Pennsylvania, New Jersey) and midwest (Ohio). It ranges from artistically intricate to charmingly primitive. It varies from region to region, town to town and artist to artist. Many fraktur artists did not sign their work but are known only through hallmark patterns or styles they incorporated into their designs. The earliest examples may date from the1700s, and their golden age was the early to mid 1800s. Who produced these intriguing forms, and what were their uses?

One of the "invisible losses" that we have experienced as a culture is the loss of choice in our gardens, and on our plates. The loss of genetic diversity as agrabusiness and other growers opt to raise and market vegetable varieties that are not chosen for taste -- but for how well they ship to your local grocery store, and how they look when they get there. Have you wondered why tomatoes taste so...tasteless lately? A lot of folks nowadays might have forgotten what a real tomato tastes like, or worse, have never known (pictured at left, Rosa Bianca eggplant from Seed Savers Exchange).

My grandfather had a tremendous garden in his intensely cultivated backyard. His house and lot were in a semi-urban area, yet he fed his family through wars and the depression inbetween with the tomatoes he grew (then bred) himself. Besides tomatoes there were rutabagas, mint, peas, peppers, cabbages, beets, all of it. Sadly, as he became an elderly man, he moved into a nursing home, and his plants were abandoned, then lost. It's a tale that has been repeated too often.

But there's an alternate ending to this tale. Heirloom varieties of vegetables (and flowers) have become increasingly recognized as important in their own right, not just through the lens of nostalgia. So where are all these heirloom varieties hiding?

There's not one, single approach that is right for all textiles. Age, type of fabric, type of soilage all influence what type of approach to take to clean a vintage or antique garment or textile. While there's no one product or method that should be universally applied, Orvus paste is a very useful cleaner that can be used on a variety of textiles. Is it a catchall solution, a miracle cure for vintage linens and vintage garments? No. But it is a pretty good thing.

So, what's so special about Orvus paste?

The pursuit of the fountain of youth has spurred a cottage industry in juicing, as people pursued vigor in vitamin c. Plain, old juice led to juicing. Juicing begat smoothies. Along the way, a myriad of Victorianeque contraptions have been hawked and sold as the most fabulous methods to extract every bit of life-preserving matrix from pulp, seed or rind. Along the way, hypnotized by infomercial sirens and loud-talking, fast-talking pitchmen, we've forgotten that for quite a while now, we've had some very effective, simple ways of getting our daily dose.

There's more than one way to juice an orange. Even manually. One of the classic, manual juicer forms was picked up by William Sonoma as a good idea (and it is). Originally of cast aluminum, and found quite commonly kitchens of the '30s forward, some smart person rediscovered what a great tool it was and repackaged it in a smart, modern enameled orange.

Previously, lovers of antique and vintage style often had to make compromises in their homes when it came to the kitchen. Oftentimes historic homes that their owners were trying to lovingly restore to period perfection. Because appliances have to clean, cook and keep cool, taking an authentic piece that doesn't actually function and plunking it into a working kitchen is not an option for most folks.

At the other end of the spectrum, taking a functioning-but-modern-looking appliance and shoehorning the chrome and plastic in amongst carefully selected cabinetry, colors, finishes and hardware that recall a specific era is a serious letdown. Thankfully, the love affair with historic styles has grown enough in recent years to herd manufacturers to design new appliances with the latest modern conveniences, but with appropriate, period attire. So, what are these new technologies in old clothes? What is the (new) old stove?

A lucky bibliophile is one who also has discovered the love of, the art of the bookplate. Bookplates can be intensely personal (as personal as the taste of the owner's library itself). They may incorporate monograms, figures or symbols that are important to the bibliophile, mottos or any element that is deemed shorthand for the owner's life. There are some fine, mass-produced bookplates out there that are tasetefully done and recall the classic woodblock print approach to the genre. There are also nice examples that are semi-custom, ordered from printers with one's name, etc. incorporated into a pre-existing design template (much like ordering custom stationery). There's also the wonderful adventure of having a bookplate designed specifically -- image and text -- for oneself.

It is not only the Occident that possesses a textile and costume history. Every continent (excepting Antarctica) has a long tradition of people wearing garments. The weaving tradition in Peru goes back 2,000 years and was a rich part of Incan culture. The area around the ancient Incan capital at Machu Picchu has a long history of intensely intricate weaving techniques, and every village had (and still has) its own weaving traditions and patterns. This beautiful, beautiful wrap from Peruvian Connection is based on a traditional regional textile/garment called a "manta," and it brings that rich cultural tradition to the modern woman, who need not be Incan to be flattered by it.