Beauty and The Beads

While the wars outcome hardly hinged on this battle, it was nonetheless a significant loss for the Confederates.

The Cow Army in Fort Meade was supplying cattle for food to the Confederate troops, said Priscilla Perry, executive director of the Fort Meade Chamber of Commerce. This battle halted that, forcing the Confederates to look elsewhere for cattle.

Participants will stage a re-enactment of the battle Saturday and Sunday at the Fort Meade Outdoor Recreation Complex, along the Peace River. The event is part of the communitys third annual three-day heritage festival, which includes homemade crafts, entertainment, living history exhibits and a folk music festival. Representatives and volunteers with the chamber are organizing the event.

This marks the second year for the battle re-enactment, Perry said.

It was so well received last year, she said, and its important that people know the role Fort Meade played in the Civil War.

In 1864, the Union Army marched into Florida to shut down the food supply to Confederate troops. On April 7, Union soldiers clashed with the Confederate Army near the area where Bowlegs Creek splinters from the Peace River, just south of Fort Meade.

After a brief skirmish, the Confederates, including Bartow benefactor Jacob Summerlin, retreated back to Fort Meade. A Confederate soldier, James Lanier, died in the battle.

But the Union Army wasnt finished. A month later, on May 19, they returned to burn Fort Meade to the ground, leaving only a log officers quarters as a remnant of the fort. That building was dismantled 40 years later.

Terri Davies, an organizer of the re-enactment, said about 150 re-enactors will participate in the battle.

They are dressed in period-appropriate apparel, which is made of the materials that were available at that time, she said. There are civilian re-enactors, as well. Our goal is to be as historically accurate as we can.

Along with the battle, the group will have an encampment with sutlers, which are tradesmen or vendors with period-correct stores under canvas tents, Davies said.

They have books, toys, furs, leather goods, clothing and handcrafted antique beading, she said.

Living history exhibits in the encampment include cooking demonstrations and musket firings.

The heritage festival opens Friday at 10 am with living history exhibits, crafts and food vendors. Saturdays events include entertainment beginning at 10 am The re-enactment will take place at 1:30 pm, and entertainment will continue until 7 pm

A second staging of the Battle of Bowlegs Creek will begin at 1:30 pm Sunday.

Admission to the event is free, but theres a $5 charge for parking. Returning guests pay $2 to park.

The Fort Meade Outdoor Recreation Complex is located on US 98 East in Fort Meade, at the Peace River bridge.

 More Images »  At Dior, lush, full skirts harkened back to 1947, although some were transparent.Photograph by: PASCAL LE SEGRETAIN ?GETTY IMAGES, The Gazette

He has created sets featuring a merry-go-round of giant pearls and bows, an underwater fantasyland and a starry night at Place Vendôme, all inside the Grand Palais. But haute couture soared to new heights at the Paris shows for spring and summer this week as Chanel maestro Karl Lagerfeld constructed a 250-seat aircraft with a 50-metre runway and fluffy clouds projected overhead on which to present an all-blue collection. And the clothes were wearable: boat-necked suits, day dresses with dropped waists, subtly embroidered evening frocks.

Armani Privé, Versace Atelier, Jean Paul Gaultier and Dior also hit the catwalk this week, showing many styles perhaps destined for the Oscar red carpet. Dior quelled anticipation that a successor to disgraced John Galliano was to be named soon. It appears that Bill Gaytte, with good reviews for this second haute couture effort, will remain in place for the time being.

Here are excerpts of reviews.

Chanel: “But forget the plane. What truly dazzled were the clothes, all in blue. Mr. Lagerfeld said there were more 150 different shades of blue in the collection, which consisted of about 60 outfits. There were powder and sky blues, warm violet blues, electric and royal blues, midnight and navy.” Cathy Horyn, New York Times

“The chic severity of the short dresses, which were suffused in couture details and quintessentially Chanel, was offset by hairstyles that looked like they had been caught in an engine tailspin.” Suzy Menkes, International Herald Tribune.

Jean Paul Gaultier: “The late pop singer’s (Amy Winehouse) musical spirit and bad girl fashion sense were all over the runway. ‘No, no, no,’ sang the four male Afro-American a cappella singers who kicked off the show, using Winehouse’s husky battle cry ‘Rehab’ as a backdrop to 1950s and ’60s-inspired looks. Sporting pink, red, blonde and black beehives, the leggy models with thick cat-eye eyeliner sported lots of lace, sequins, peeka-boo skin – and even cigarettes.” Alexandria Sage, Reuters

Dior: After a rigorous, correct and undeniably “Dior” show, this question must be asked: Is the elusive successor on the doorstep?

In every sense, this show on the first day of the brief couture season was Dior Light. There was not much personality or charm, yet a careful rendition of the codes of the house, including houndstooth check created with embroidered beading. The lush, full skirts, which shocked the world in 1947, would have given those postwar women the vapors if the skirts had shifted transparently over the legs, as in this 2012 summer show. Suzy Menkes, International Herald Tribune

Atelier Versace: With its highsparkle, sexy pizzazz, this collection had two primary targets: the Hollywood awards set (Versace’s most recent coup was Angelina Jolie at the Golden Globes) and a solid, growing client base in Russia, Hong Kong and “of, course, the Middle East.” Women’s Wear Daily

“Dazzling decadence was the watchword, with strips of metal plated with real gold circling the dresses like luxury body armour, around a shoulder, across the back or down the side of the ribs.” Agence France-Presse

Armani Privé: “The first cheers went to the U.S. actress Jessica Chastain, who found out live during the show she was nominated for an Oscar as best actress in a second role for The Help. Did Chastain spot something to wear up the red carpet next month? Quite possibly – if she is planning to go in green: the couture collection sent out by Armani Privé feted vivid greens in all their glory, from aniseed to apple, weaving in a subtle reptilian-theme.” AFP

Elie Saab: “Which one to choose for the red carpet? All eyes were on Oscar contender Bérénice Bejo, co-star of the French silent movie The Artist, as she sat front row. The Lebanese designer – a favourite of the red-carpet crowd – sent out a roll-call of evanescent gowns fit for an ‘empress’, all in shimmering, semi-sheer layers of white and gentle pastels. Asked after the show if she was on the lookout for a dress to wear down the Oscar red carpet – and if she would be wearing Saab – Bejo replied only with a smile, but she praised the collection as ‘wearable.”‘ AFP

SPRING COLOUR BLASTS

Jolts of orange and electric yellow are hitting the shops now, with pastels on the horizon.

View a gallery of spring runway trends at montrealgazette.com/style

the ultimate in fashion

Haute couture week wrapped Wednesday and we’ve got the best looks from Chanel, Gaultier, Armani and more picked out for your perusal. montrealgazette.com/style

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette   

DIY Beading: Get Crafty and Think Outside the Box!

By: Melissa Stern
Updated: January 5, 2012

By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,

New Delhi : The chill still hangs heavy in the air – misting the brick and mortar facade of Dilli Haat in the capital. It is almost noon. Comrades in-arms Jennifer Mulli and Millicent Seela, both from Kenya, are inured to the mist or the freezing bite in the air.Their nimble fingers fly on swathes of Indian hand-woven silks as they learn their first needle strokes of the traditional kantha – a stitch from the lush plains of Bengal.

The Kenyan craftswomen are in an open air classroom experiencing the centuries-old heritage of Indian embroidery and textiles at a crafts exchange programme, Handcrafting Promises, between Africa and India.

The programme hosting 18 craftspeople from Africa is a cultural diplomatic initiative supported by the ministry of external affairs at the 25th annual Dastkari Haat Samiti.

Jennifer Mulli, director of Katchy Kollections (under a Kenyan crafts label, Jiamini), bead weavers by tradition, says she is looking at different types of beading from India.

India has a wide variety of beading traditions and we want to find out how bead crafts from the two countries can complement each other, Mulli told IANS.

Mulli is also taking part in the dyeing workshops at the crafts fair. I am learning the use of natural dye because we still use chemical dye in our country. Most of our weavers and craftspeople do not know the process of extracting natural dyes but we have all the spices and natural spices and flowers that are used for colours in Kenya, Mulli
said.

Mulli and her mate Millicent are keen to tie up with Indian artisans to develop their range of brassware.

We also craft in brass, but India has richer brassware. We want trade partners in the brass sectors as well as in silver carvings, Mulli said.

Horn carving is common to both India and Kenya. Indian craftsmen have been sculpting in ivory, buffalo, deer and rhinoceros horns for centuries like African craftspeople, who craft a bigger spread of horn artefacts and jewellery culled from many more animal species, the crafts resource person from Kenya said.

But in India, horns are carved differently. This is a craft we want to look at… how it is done in India. We also want to learn Indian weaving, Mulli said.

Mulli has adapted many traditional jewellery into contemporary accessories to make for comfortable wear. We have culturally changed our indigenous beaded chokers crafted with wires to leather and bead designer wear which does not hurt the skin. Our traditional wire and bead necklaces are stiff and uncomfortable.

We loom our beads on leather so that they resemble fabrics. The colours of our beadware are more subtle and Western unlike the earthy African shades so that the market can identify with the jewellery, Mulli said.

Necklaces in Africa traditionally had no pendants, the craftsperson said, explaining the process of design transformation. But we have introduced pendants in our bead necklaces to suit modern fashion tastes, she said.

Mulli has a large clientele in Holland, Britain and the US.

Most of the craftspeople are women in Kenya, but craft is not taken seriously despite the fact that it is a potential income generating business. We are looking for government recognition, Mulli said.

Mulli and Millicent work with the disadvantaged youth and women in the villages of Kenya, helping them find self-employment. We develop our products with them. And we have taught many of them how to make beads as well as mix and match designs, Mulli said.

(Madhusree Chatterjee can be contacted at madhu.c@ians.in)

CASEY PAGE/Gazette Staff

Souther and her friend and fellow jewelry maker Diane Gneiting
work on their beading projects in Souther’s studio.

Faaborg, Denmark — A new Eldan Recycling mining tyre recycling system can turn huge waste mining tyres into reusable rubber granulate, powder and clean steel wire. This tyre recycling equipment enables processing whole car and truck tyres including super singles, earth mover tyres, OTR etc. De-beading of the tyres will not be required prior to processing in the Eldan recycling systems. The company uses a modular approach, which cover all customer requirements on equipment to process at different levels down the recycling road, ie production of shreds, chips, granulate and powder – all having their own platform within recycling.

CHENGDU, China, Jan. 6, 2012 — /PRNewswire-Asia/ — Milanoo, global supplier for a huge collection of celebrity occasion dresses, published its new arrival celebrity dresses that are inspired by January Jones dresses in the first month of 2012.

In this fashion style collection, classic and chic dresses inspired by Jones styles featuring a red V-neck dress, strapless evening dress, sweetheart taffeta dress, and A-line satin dresses are available at Milanoo.com, with a variety of patterns and models. At the same time, Milanoo also publishes January Jones-inspired sexy and charming prom dresses, represented by a strapless beading prom dress, strapless beading party dress, green prom dress, purple chiffon dress and navy blue party dress. It may be party wear or casual wear, the one destination which stands special and famous for its uniqueness in all occasions.

Jones fashion styles nowadays are really popular among girls, and we are trying to get these very styles for them in prom or any other special occasions in the past two months. When putting them on our official site of Milanoo.com, we ourselves are attracted by these amazing fashionable occasion dresses that we stole from January Jones styles. We hope our customers will enjoy and taste these special styles, said Gu, the manager of the procurement center of Milanoo.

2012 Milanoo occasion dresses will be the best New Year gifts for fashion lovers to look most beautiful. Now Milanoo has the online access where you can have a look at the wide varieties of special occasion dresses without visiting the shop. You also have the opportunity to buy your favorite costume only by logging in to http://www.milanoo.com/.

About Milanoo.com

Milanoo.com is one of the Internets leading premier suppliers of fashion apparel. Cosplay costumes and wigs, lingerie, formal wear, wedding attire, shoes and Spandex Zentai suits are included in their scope of business. Milanoo.coms inventory also includes bedding and yoga essentials. Customers choose Milanoo because of their dedication to professional service, fast delivery and quality products, which they have provided for a number of successful years.

Related Links:http://www.milanoo.com/Occasion-Dresses-c564http://www.milanoo.com/en/promotions/specials-id-112037.html

SOURCE Milanoo.com

Katherine Elizabeth Bentley and Jason Scott Knowles were united in holy matrimony on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011.

The ceremony was officiated by Daryl Hall at Central Baptist Church in Oak Ridge. The reception was held in the ballroom at the DoubleTree Hotel, with food catered by Burchfields and the cake provided by Two Fat Ladies Catering.

The bride wore a floor-length, strapless white satin gown, with beading on the bodice and buttons on the back which ran the entire length of the cathedral train.

The groom and his attendants wore black pin-striped suits with ties and vests that matched the bridesmaids dresses. The bridesmaids and maid of honor wore strapless, floor-length satin gowns in regal. The parents of the bride and groom wore coordinating ensembles.

The maid of honor was Jessica Bentley, of Oak Ridge, sister of the bride. The bridesmaids included: Joanna Richardson, of Lenoir City, friend of the bride; Mary Banks, of Ohio, friend of the bride; and Allie Knowles and Tina Knowles of Clinton, daughters of the groom. Kayla Howard, of Oak Ridge, the niece of the bride, was the flower girl.

The best man was Bryan Stuart, of Knoxville, friend of the groom. The groomsmen included: Sean Hunt, of Knoxville, friend of the groom; Jonathan Bentley, of Knoxville, brother of the bride; David Bentley, of Oak Ridge, brother of the bride; and Jacob Bentley, of Oak Ridge, son of the bride. Sam Bentley, of Oak Ridge, the nephew of the bride, was the ring bearer.

Flowers were mixed purple and white bouquets and boutonnieres, provided by Powell Florist. Pictures were taken by Mary Jane Murphy Photography of Athens.

The couples first dance was to Two Is Better Than One, sung by the brides son, Jacob, and his girlfriend, Jenifer Harris, also of Oak Ridge. Several wedding showers and parties were held at Central Baptist Church and by friends and family of the bride in both Nashville and Knoxville.

After their honeymoon in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the couple lives in Clinton.

A south Jersey marsh in a December drizzle isnt pleasant. Its gray. And theres a great deal of mud. But with a guide like John Zander?all strong shoulders and Boy Scout manners?the salty morning breeze has a measure of charm. Zander is steering an outboard motor­boat across the creeks of the Cohansey River, raindrops beading on his backward baseball cap. As an island of trees emerges in the mist, Zander drives the skiff smack into a muddy bank, steps off the bow into shoulder-high reeds, and grabs one marked with a strip of pink plastic. The reed, in fact, is a stake marking one of 120 traps he set yesterday. With a firm yank, its out of the mud, a short chain swinging at the end. ?And there he is,? says Zander. ?He? is a furry, rubbery-tailed carcass squashed inside a square metal shoebox-size frame?a freshly caught wild native New Jersey muskrat.

Algonquin mythology credits muskrats for making the Earth out of mud from the primordial sea. The settlers who followed Henry Hudson into the Delaware Bay, Zanders current hunting grounds, trapped and traded muskrat, and the animals are still found in healthy numbers there. Zander has his engineering degree and MBA., but, at 29, hes decided to stick with the family fur trade, following his dad, Harry Zander, his Uncle Tommy, and his granddad before that. T. Zander Sons has operated here, about 100 miles from Manhattan in New Jerseys southwest corner, where it owns 1,300 marshy acres, since 1958. In the sixties and seventies, the Zanders sold mostly to Manhattans furriers. In the eighties, demand shifted to Europe. More recently, the bulk of their output has been sold to Chinese distributors. But that could change soon. With interest in fur rising in the West and labor costs in China increasing, Zander says the phone is once again ringing from European manufacturers looking for muskrats. Meanwhile, farmed-mink prices have reached upwards of $80 per skin?compared with about $8 for a similarly glossy brown muskrat?so domestic designers have begun to include muskrat, aka. ?the poor mans mink,? in their collections. Between the creatures they trap themselves and skins brought in from other trappers, the Zanders expect to handle around a half-million muskrats this year. (They also deal in wild foxes, beavers, coyotes, and raccoons, but muskrats have always been the Zanders staple.)

T. Zander Sons West Deptford headquarters is a low concrete building across a gravelly road from two grazing ponies. Just in from the marsh, Zander carries two crates of dead muskrats into a garagelike work space and plunks them down. He grabs one carcass and loops a length of rope around its tail. It hangs there like a rubber chicken covered in matted fur until Zander begins to score it with a paring knife above the back feet, then pulls down the skin as if removing a sweater, stopping at the face to make a cut above each beady eyeball. ?Sometimes one just pops up and hits you.?

The detached pelt looks like a deflated furry football with a cute nose and whiskers. Zander turns it inside out, stretches it over a wooden plank, and begins to scrape the skin with a blade. If the fat isnt removed, the skin will rot and the fur will fall off. Next he pulls the skin over a frame to dry. What covered a muskrat corpse five minutes ago now resembles a small, bloody ironing board. (The animals meat goes into the refrigerator for adventuresome area epicures.) After drying for three days, the skins are graded and sorted by size and quality, then wrapped in cardboard, squeezed into bales in lots of 1,500, and shipped out.

Zander likens wild-caught muskrat pelts to diver scallops. ?Instead of a big machine, its an actual person grabbing them.? But while foodies pay a premium for wild seafood and game, fur buyers often place higher prices on pelts from farm-raised animals, which are bred to be big, plush, and predictable. These wild animals fur, by comparison, can be small, scrappy, and scarred.

Zander says he works as humanely as possible. He uses body-grip traps because they snap the animals necks, killing them instantly, whereas cage traps, which drown the animals, prolong their deaths. And because a muskrats reproduction rate can rival that of a rabbit, Zander believes that trapping the animals helps keep the marsh healthy. Still, he understands that no matter how conscientious he is, there are people who find his career morally indefensible. Protesters have gathered outside the Zanders workshop, and once, when John was a boy trapping near a road, a driver yelled that hed like to catch him in a trap.

A single wall separates the drying skins from T. Zander Sons Country Fur Salon, a shop where the Zanders secretary, Shelley, doubles as the sales clerk, and business these days is brisk. There, among the jackets and trapper hats, is a soft, sporty zip-up vest with a $695 price tag. With natural-colored fur varying from sandy brown to deep brunette, the vest looks not unlike one available at Barneys for $1,825, made in China from Spanish raccoons. The Zanders version, of course, is 100 percent local muskrat.

Folk musician Fred Moore will present a concert following the dinner at 7 pm

Moore is no stranger to the Ridge. Hes performed in many community venues. He will perform folk music from the 1960s. Hell have your hands clappin and your toes tappin.

The Indian Lake Estates United Methodist Church is 17 miles east of Lake Wales on State Road 60 East. The church is at 6910 Deland.

For details, call Barb Mee at 863-692-0236.

Lake Wales Noon Rotary Club spreads holiday cheer

The Rotary Club of Lake Wales spread plenty of holiday cheer in 2011.

At its Dec. 13 meeting, the club was treated to Christmas music performed by Circle of Friends. Several students from COF sang a medley of Christmas favorites. After the meeting, club members drove to Our Childrens Academy with the COF students, where together they delivered books for each class at the school and sang carols in each classroom. Funds for the books were all donated by club members.

On Dec. 19, club members met with a crew from Progress Energy. They loaded a trailer full of food for needy families from the Ridge. The Christmas Food Baskets donation was a joint effort between the Rotary Club of Lake Wales and Progress Energy. Combined with frozen turkeys donated by the Lake Wales Medical Center, the food was driven to Lake Wales Care Center, which coordinated the distribution of the food baskets to 125 families in the Lake Wales area.

Rotary Club of Lake Wales president Maryemma Bachelder said: Were extremely appreciative of all the support Progress Energy has provided the past few years on our Christmas Food Basket project as well. Jerry Miller and the crew he brings every year are an integral part of the success of this program.

The Lake Wales Noon Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at Lake Wales Medical Centers Hunt Building, second-floor classroom.

For details about the club, call President Maryemma Bachelder at 863-679-6869.

Lake Ashton donates to housing program

The 2011 Lake Ashton Holiday Home Tour, Candy Cane Lane was held in December.

Five Lake Ashton homeowners opened their y decorated homes for the holiday tour.

Lake Ashtons community supported the event, making it a great success.

As a result of the community support, the Lake Ashton Holiday Home Tour committee donated $2,000 to the Lake Wales Care Center, transitional housing program.

Committee chair Louise Gilla presented the check to Care Center Director Rob Quam.

Bartow Adult Concert Band holds concert

The Bartow Adult Concert Band will perform itsmonthly free concert at 2:30 pm Jan. 15.

The Adult Concert Bands one-hour concert will be at the Bartow Civic Center, 2250 S. Floral Ave. in Bartow. The concert is free.

New Ridge Crafting Group forms Saturday

Do you love to make jewelry or want to learn? Are you interested in meeting like-minded people for fun afternoons of beading and socializing?

The Lake Wales Public Library is forming another crafting group — Jewelers on the Ridge.

Come to the informal organizational meeting in the librarys Schoenoff Meeting Room at 3 pm Jan. 13.

Library staff member Stephanie Carter will coordinate this group. For more information, email at stcarter@cityoflakewales.com or call the Lake Wales Public Library at 678-4004.

The Jan. 13 meeting is an optional gathering to see if there is interest in forming a beading group on the Ridge. All skill levels are welcome.

Visit the librarys website at www.cityoflakewales.com/library for a calendar of activities. Follow the Lake Wales Public Library on Twitter @LWPLtweets or Lake Wales Library on Facebook.

Lake Wales Farmers Market OPENS

Lake Wales Main Street will hold their twice-monthly Farmers Market from 8 am to noon Saturday.

This event will be held in the Marketplace between Park and Stuart avenues.

The monthly venue has been expanded to a twice-monthly event, the second and fourth Saturday of each month.

Each Farmers Market is growing and expanding. New vendors with fruits and vegetables, breads and baked goods, along with plants and pet treats, are filling the market.

In addition to the Farmers Market, there are many downtown merchants open for business.

For details, call 863-412-6960.

Winter Dog Days at Bok Tower Gardens

If youre a dog-lover or know someone with a dog, grab your favorite pooch and join the fun at Bark Tower Gardens from 8 a.m to 6 pm Saturday.

The gardens welcomes your furry friend to stroll the grounds. Regular admission rates apply, Garden members and their dog pay $5 per pooch.

Dog Days at Bok Tower Gardens also benefits partners at the Polk County Humane Society.

For more information, call 863-676-1408.

LAKE ASHTON LIVE ENTERTAINMENT SERIES BEGINS FRIDAY

Tickets are now on sale for the Lake Ashton Live Entertainment Series Shows.

Harley Worthit and Katie Brooks are scheduled on the Grand Ballroom stage at 5 and 8 pm Friday.

Tickets can be purchased at the Lake Ashton Activities Office, 4141 Ashton Club Drive. Lake Wales, or by calling 863-324-6032. Choose either 5 pm at $15 per guest or 8 pm $20 per guest and should be purchased in advance.

Tina Peaks Tinas Ridge column appears each Sunday in the Accent section of the News Chief.