#FASHION--A FLAPPER WEDDING GOWN, OLD FAMILY PHOTOS & MURDER

In Scrapbook of Murder, the sixth and most recent Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery in the series, the mystery stems from a letter found in a suitcase full of old family photos that are discovered in an attic.

I’ve always loved old photographs. Over the years I’ve saved quite a few from the trash when family members failed to see the beauty and history of them and were about to discard them as they sorted through the possessions of deceased relatives. Unfortunately, many of these photographs were never labeled, and although I know the photos are those of relatives (in many instances it’s easy to see the family resemblance), I have no idea as to the names of the people in the photos or when and where the photos were taken.

One exception is the photo pictured above. This is my grandparents’ wedding photo. Rae and Ben Schaffer were married January 1, 1925 during the height of the Roaring Twenties. I absolutely love the flapper-style wedding gown and headwear my grandmother chose to wear. Grandma was always an extremely fashion-forward woman. I’m just not sure what her in-laws may have thought of her dress choice. They died before I was born, but I do know they were very traditional. According to family lore, my grandparents were not allowed to marry until after my grandfather’s two sisters found husbands. For this reason, Grandma and Grandpa had to wait several years to tie the knot.

Grandpa was in law enforcement. Rising to the rank of captain in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, he had an illustrious career that included putting many a gangster behind bars and solving quite a few murders. He was the first officer on the scene when Dutch Schultz was gunned down in a Newark, NJ restaurant and was probably one of the officers who participated in a round-the-clock bedside vigil as the gangster lay dying, hoping he’d spill the beans and name names. Unfortunately—or fortunately—I have no way of knowing. Fearing mobsters retaliating against members of law enforcement and their relatives, newspapers often didn’t divulge officer names back then.

Grandpa died of a massive heart attack on his way home from work one Friday afternoon in 1958. Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of his death. I often wonder what he would think of his first-born grandchild who grew up to write about fictional murder and mayhem. I hope he would have been proud.

Rest in peace, Grandpa Ben.

Scrapbook of Murder

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 6

Crafts and murder don’t normally go hand-in-hand, but normal deserted craft editor Anastasia Pollack’s world nearly a year ago. Now, tripping over dead bodies seems to be the “new normal” for this reluctant amateur sleuth.

When the daughter of a murdered neighbor asks Anastasia to create a family scrapbook from old photographs and memorabilia discovered in a battered suitcase, she agrees—not only out of friendship but also from a sense of guilt over the older woman’s death. However, as Anastasia begins sorting through the contents of the suitcase, she discovers a letter revealing a fifty-year-old secret, one that unearths a long-buried scandal and unleashes a killer. Suddenly Anastasia is back in sleuthing mode as she races to prevent a suitcase full of trouble from leading to more deaths.

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#FASHION--AN EXHIBIT OF WEDDING GOWNS

Two weeks ago I talked about an interesting sculpture I recently came across in front of one of the buildings at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Today I’d like to tell you about one of the exhibits inside the museum. Love is Love is an exhibit of wedding gowns by French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. You may not be familiar with Gaultier, but you probably know some of his work. He’s the guy who created that famous—or was it infamous?—conical bra for Madonna.

This exhibit is a bit gender-bending; the title references the 2015 legalization of gay marriage in the U.S. Some might feel uncomfortable with that, but truthfully, it wasn’t until I started reading about the exhibit afterwards that I became aware of the political nature of the collection. For me it was all about the beauty of each garment.

The gowns, thirty-six in all, were created over the last twenty-six years. As someone who has spent many years designing needlework, I was totally blown away by this exhibit. The lace! The beadwork! The crystals! The bling! Wow! One was more stunning than the next. This is haute couture at its haute-iest.

The centerpiece of the show is a “cake” of mannequins, three with computer-animated faces projected onto them. They speak at regular intervals. One is of Gaultier himself, greeting the public as they enter the exhibit.

The room is drenched in light, something you usually don’t experience in museums because over time, constant exposure to light will fade and damage fabrics and paintings. The brightness of the room enables viewers to really see the fine detail and workmanship in each garment. The dresses in the exhibit were created for a few minutes exposure on a fashion catwalk, but each took as many as nearly 500 hours to create.

The exhibit runs through Oct. 9^th. If you happen to find yourself in Montreal, you should make a point of seeing it. My photos don’t come close to capturing the true beauty of the dresses.

#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--GUEST AUTHOR BARBARA PHINNEY

Today’s craft blog is a bit of a stretch, but it’s a fun post and author Barbara Phinney did find her inspiration while attending a craft fair, so we’re going with it. Learn more about Barbara and her books at her website. 

Years ago, I ran into a friend of mine at a craft fair. Like me, she was serving in the military, but she belonged to a Society of Creative Anachronism. At their display, she wore a beautiful green velvet dress in a 16th century style, complete with stunning jewels. She'd saved her money to sew her gown and buy those wonderful pieces of bling she wore. She was also an attractive Native Canadian woman and when she knelt to speak to my toddler daughter, with her black hair flowing down her shoulders, my daughter thought she was a magical princess.

I knew then I had to write a story filled with fabulous gowns and medieval societies. Later that summer, our family visited my husband’s family. So, the story forming in my mind suddenly became a comedy of wacky family frolics. With those beautiful gowns of course.

 So All For A Good Cause was born.

It came together as beautifully as the gowns my friend had created. There would even be a fairy tale wedding featured, for what is a romance about lovely clothing without a stunning wedding?

Fast forward twenty years to my daughter’s lovely summer nuptials. And her dress resembled the one my heroine wore in my story! I loved it the second we laid eyes on it. And perhaps by unconscious design, the fun we had before the wedding reflected All For A Good Cause.

Thankfully, my daughter didn’t faint. Oops! I’m telling you too much about All For A Good Cause! No more, except that it’s a fun romp through medieval societies, fabulous gowns and meddling families.

I hope you’ll check it out.

All for a Good Cause

With the 'fun' back in fundraiser and relatives firmly entrenched where they think they should be (in her personal life), Janet Jemseg struggles to stay sane at a local charity function run by her old Society for Creative Anachronism.

She's been roped in to help, by blackmail and everything that family think they can get away with.

Enter hunky philanthropist, Devin Kidder, uncle to the disabled child for whom they're raising money, and Janet is ready to jump ship. She's had her fill of charming men.

Suddenly, he's suggesting the unthinkable -- a 'wedding' to stir up interest. A wedding to him.

Her quiet summer just went south. But it's all for a good cause, they say.

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