Thursday, July 31, 2014

Crafty Thursdays - Old Watch Photo Ornaments




Crafty Thursdays is preparing for Christmas by doing crafts every Thursday this month leaving you plenty of time to make them well in advance of the holiday. Today we are dismantling old decrepit pocket watches to make photo Christmas ornaments. 

You don't actually have to put a photo of Benedict Cumberbatch playing Sherlock Holmes in a Santa Hat in your ornament but you may want to consider it. 




Materials:

- Old pocket watches - eBay and flea markets are your best
sources. Not every pocket watch works, so you may want to get an eBay lot if you can find a good price. 
-  Gorilla Glue - the official glue of Mystery Playground - mostly because it's tough, dries fast and it won't glue my fingers together
- Silver Ribbon or Red RicRac - depends on your mood
- Small pliers or tweezers

Step One:
Open your watch. You can do this by finding the groove on the side and prying it open. The knob on the top will provide resistance, so I pull it off, if possible, or unscrew it.



Step Two:
Pull out the insides. Your tweezers or pliers should help you with this. Each watch is different, so be creative. The watch doesn't work anymore, so just get it out of there.

Step Three:
Once your watch contents are removed, save them for next week's very cool craft. Wash the inside and outside of the glass or plastic top as much as possible. This is now your photo receptacle. 

Step Four:
Select your photo and cut it to match the shape of your watch.





Step Five:
Put your circle cut photo inside the watch. Put a little stuffing behind it. 





Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Secret Russian Edition of Doctor Zhivago


The book above looks so harmless and unassuming. It looks that something that would have been self-published in ancient pre-book times. It wasn't self published, it was secretly published in Russian by the CIA and it's a copy Dr. Zhivago. 

The book is in Seattle right now at the Pacific Science Center near the Space Needle in a wonderful exhibit for spy lovers called, Spy: The Secret World of Espionage. It's there until September 1.

It seems that during the Cold War, the book was used as a tool to undermine the Soviet Union. According to the museum, the CIA printed Russian language books so the author Boris Pasternak could win the Nobel Prize for literature. And according to this Washington Post article, the CIA also printed the books because the novel made excellent propaganda. 

Here's what it said in the museum...



Here's one of my favorite scenes from the movie. If you've never seen it, go get it right now and start watching.  



This Spy Exhibit was so fabulous and full, we will be covering it here for the next few days, so come on back. 

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Book Review: Maxwell Blues



Kerry Hammond reviews Maxwell Street Blues today...


Jules Landau is a private detective in Chicago. To say he comes from a well known family is a bit of an understatement. His grandfather was a well known Chicago criminal, and his father has just been released from prison. Jules’ main bread and butter cases as an investigator have not, to date, included investigating murder. As the story opens, however, he is hired to investigate his first murder. To complicate matters, his client is his newly released father, and the murdered man is an old friend.

Charles Snook, aka Snooky, was a long time friend of Jules. He wasn’t just a great friend, though, he also ran a bookkeeping business. Oh yeah, and he cleaned money for mobsters. As Jules begins to investigate Snooky’s murder, he comes across a lot of possible suspects, including a beautiful and unusual tattoo artist, a crooked cop, and a lot of mobsters who benefitted from Snooky’s fancy accounting.

Maxwell Street Blues is the first in the Jules Landau Mystery series. I’d call it a modern day hard-boiled meets noir novel. Poor Jules is a glutton for punishment as he searches for the truth, and I couldn’t help but picture him as a 21st century Sam Spade. I say 21st century because let’s face it, the man has a cat. Don’t get me wrong, the fact that he owns a cat makes him that much more likeable and puts the reader squarely on his side. Jules is not your typical love ‘em and leave ‘em male, either. He’s got a conscience and a heart and I really enjoyed following him through his investigation.


Another thing to the author’s credit is that he manages to take you into the heart of Chicago, while following a private detective as he investigates a murder of a money launderer. Yet I couldn’t place my finger on one clichéd phrase that came out of Landau’s mouth. The reader can’t help but expect to hear the word “dame,” but don’t hold your breath. This author knows how to write a great story in the spirit of the master hard-boiled detective novels, with a modern day twist.





Monday, July 28, 2014

SPY: The Secret World of Espionage



SPY: The Secret World of Espionage is a special exhibit on the history of spying at Seattle's Pacific Science Center.  It's filled with real artifacts used by spies around the world. It includes everything from the axe that killed Leon Trotsky to a piece of the Berlin wall to a pellet gun disguised as umbrella. These artifacts are real, but many of them look like they belong in an episode of 60s TV show GET SMART




The gun, dubbed the Assassination Umbrella, shot ricin pellets. It was used by a Soviet agent to kill a Bulgarian  
defector in London. It certainly looks like it could have been the inspiration behind umbrella gun used by Batman nemesis, The Penguin. 





Here's a piece of the Berlin Wall and the flag flown from Check Point Charlie. 



This child's toy was used to get a microdot lens across a border by the KGB. The theory was that a child's toy would be less likely to be searched. 



These are secret cufflinks that a KGB double agent and a CIA agent who never met could use to identify one another.  Of course it would only work if the cufflinks weren't intercepted...



Here's a miniature tape recorder...




This exhibit is at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. It's right next door to the Space Needle. If you're in Seattle it's definitely worth a visit.  This exhibit was so great, we'll have another post this Wednesday and next Monday. 




Sunday, July 27, 2014

Well Read, Then Dead




Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran is the first book in the Read ’Em and Eat cozy mystery series (available August 5, 2014).

I picked up Well Read, Then Dead having read several of Terrie Farley Moran’s short crime stories and curious about how she would handle the longer format. Immediately, I was drawn into the world of Sassy Cabot and Bridget Mayfield and their bookstore and bakery, Read ’Em and Eat in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. I went to Florida [mumble] years ago, but I’ve never been to Fort Myers Beach, but this book definitely made me want to visit!
It’s not just the scenery one wants to visit reading Ms. Moran’s book. Her characters are amusing and lively, described clearly without overly many tedious details. Take Judge Harcroft, who spends his mornings at the Read ’Em and Eat and being, well, somewhat annoying, especially to the Books Before Breakfast Club.

You can read the rest here: 

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Jo Ann is at Comic Con



Once again, Jo Ann Gaglione is at Comic Con and I'm not. 

Basically I have two choices: 
1) Be jealous of her and don't post her photos, 
2) Be jealous of her, post her photos and buy her a drink when she's back. 

I picked option #2. 

Let's start with the Jiminy Cricket encounter with Once Upon A Time's Raphael Sbarge

Mind you, he's not just a cricket. Raphael has been in everything: Castle, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, Dexter, Rizzoli & Isles, CSI, Young & The Restless, Prison Break, I could go on and on and on. 

He's also on the new TNT show, Murder in the First, but really, the most important moment of his career was when he took this photo with Jo Ann Gaglione, Christine Churro Saldana and the adorable pink and bow clad, Riley Doeland. You can never go to Comic Con too early. Trust Riley on this. So adorable. 

But I digress...



Let's talk about Comic Con Security. 

It's tight. 

Super tight.




This is Mindy Sterling who played Frau Farbissina in Austin Powers holding Riley. Riley as you can see in this photo is dressed as Super Girl.  







Next we have a demon fighter named Constantine. This show looks to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Fabio.







Friday, July 25, 2014

Drinks with Reads: Wild and the Snapple Mangotini


Today Kendra Kelly, creator and host of the blog, Booze House, joins us from Cape Flattery for drinks with reads. 


I love travelogues and girl power, so it was surprising it took me so long to read one of the biggest hits of last year, Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  But with my own extended expedition scheduled, Wild was the first book I loaded onto my Kindle for my flight across the ocean this past January.


For anyone else who may be running behind on picking this one up like me, Wild follows the author on her soul-searching hike up the Pacific Crest Trail, meandering through the deserts and mountains of California into the green woods of Oregon before landing just across the Columbia River into my home state of Washington.  Along the way she faces a variety of obstacles, physical and mental, as she slowly trudges step-by-step to a new future.


The Pacific Crest Trail requires an abundance of planning, including sending yourself re-supply boxes to be picked up at small towns along the way.   As Strayed rolled into a town with a box awaiting her, her first action was always the same:  use part of her new $20 to buy herself a Snapple.  So, the perfect beverage to accompany you on this adventure is a 

Snapple Mangotini:
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz
Cointreau® orange liqueur
2 oz
Snapple® Mango Madness soda

Pour the vodka, Cointreau and Snapple mango madness into a cocktail shaker half-filled with cracked or cubed ice. Shake well, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.

This is an easy cocktail to personalize as well – choose a different Snapple flavor or use a flavored vodka.  For this particular edition I used a Peach Mangosteen Snapple and a Chai Vodka from Project V distillery.  Yum!  


It was especially delicious and appropriate to mix it up and enjoy this cocktail at the farthest northwest point in the continguous US:  Cape Flattery & Hobuck Beach.  If you’ve never visited this Wild part of the state, add it to your list – the short hike at Cape Flattery is routinely listed among the best short hikes in the country, and when the sun peaks through the marine layer the scenery is unrivaled.




PS:  the trailer for the movie adaptation of Wild has just been released so you have until December 5th to read the original.  Happy Trails!






Thursday, July 24, 2014

Book Page Christmas Balls with a Chocolate Martini




Today both of the Hammond sisters join us for Crafty Thursday and they decided to mix it with a Chocolate Martini...so read on.


It’s still Christmas in July, so grab your cut out book pages to make another holiday craft. These ornaments make great gifts for book lovers, or you can keep them for yourself and make your Christmas tree a literary affair. Warning: this ornament is messy to make, but don’t worry, it’s worth it. We recommend you don’t get your nails done right before attempting this craft, though (Kim learned that the hard way). Let’s just say, the Mod Podge is very sticky.



Supplies Needed
Scissors or Paper Cutter
Book Pages
Styrofoam Balls
Twine
Tidy Pins
Mod Podge
Paint Brush

Optional Supplies
Paper Plate
Pencil


Step 1: Book Strips
Cut the book pages into strips with scissors or a paper cutter. You are going to wrap a lot of these strips around your Styrofoam ball, so don’t worry if you have different thicknesses or if you’re using scissors and the strips aren’t cut perfectly. We cut off the tops and bottoms after making the strips, to reduce the amount of white space. You really want just the writing to show as you wrap.


Step 2: Twine Hanger
Tie a knot in your twine to make a circle. Take a tidy pin and push both ends into the Styrofoam ball (straddling the twine). This will be your hanger and you will cover the pin with book strips so that it doesn’t show.


Step 3: Mod Podge
You can stick your paintbrush right into the Mod Podge jar, or you can pour a puddle of it onto a paper plate like I did. Take your paint brush and paint one side of the book strip and then stick the strip to the Styrofoam ball. Don’t worry if they don’t stick really well at first. The Styrofoam is very porous and it’s hard for the strips to stick. As you add more, though, they will end up sticking to each other as they overlap. If you cut the book pages lengthwise into long strips like we did, they wrap around the ball farther and will overlap quicker.

Paint strips on until you have the whole ball covered and you’ve got a pattern you’re happy with. Take your paint brush and paint more Mod Podge on the outside to seal your strips. This will dry clear, so don’t worry about gooping it on. I still tried to brush it over the paper evenly though, just so it would dry smoothly.



Step 4: Dry
Hang your ornament somewhere where it can hang free and not touch anything. I used a pencil and a cabinet to hang mine. Give it a good 24 hours to dry so that it’s no longer tacky.

One of the key elements in making this craft was the fact that we first made a Chocolate Martini to sip on while we worked. 

Chocolate Martini
1 part Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
1 part Vodka
1 part Kahlua
Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup


Chill your glass with ice water. Mix the 3 ingredients in a shaker and shake well with ice. Pour out the water chilling your glass and line the inside of your martini glass with Hershey’s syrup. Pour  from the shaker into your chocolate lined glass and enjoy.

Kerry Hammond
Kim Hammond
You can find our other Christmas in July posts here

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Crime & Beyond Book Club Reads Dennis Lehane



Kerry Hammond is here today with her report from the Denver-based Crime & Beyond book club. This time they are reading Dennis Lehane's Live By Night. 


Crime & Beyond met in June to discuss Live by Night by Dennis Lehane. If you’re a fan of this author you know that he writes many standalone novels  as well as a series featuring Kenzie & Gennaro. This book was kind of in-between those two. It followed the life of Joe Coughlin, whose family, and specifically his brother Danny, is featured in The Given Day. So you could call this book a sort-of a sequel to The Given Day.

Live by Night is more of a novel than a mystery, so if you fell in love with Lehane’s writing by reading Shutter Island, switch gears before you start. It’s a story about young Boston criminal, Joe Coughlin, working his way up through organized crime. It’s written with just as much skill as any of Lehane’s books, and I found myself caught up in the story, and Joe’s life, right away.



It all centers around Prohibition and the year is 1926. Fans of Mystery Playground know that the Prohibition period is a favorite here. We bloggers like to visit speakeasies and try new cocktails in the present day, but in Boston in 1926 things were quite different. The son of a Boston Police Captain doesn’t ensure that your kids run the straight and narrow and Joe’s beginning career consists mainly of petty theft. He will be the first to tell you, though, that he’s an outlaw, not a gangster. You also find out quite early that his father isn’t the upstanding citizen he makes himself out to be.

When Joe and his two friends rob the wrong man, it sets a series of events in motion that lead him to prison and a job with one of Boston’s most notorious mobsters. It’s clear that living a life of crime can pay well, but it’s also clear that you can never trust anyone. It’s a hard way to live, and you don’t always expect live long enough to grow old.

We had a great discussion of the book, which got a wide variety of reviews and comments. We all agreed that Dennis Lehane is a great writer who can tell a good story and write interesting characters. One of the most memorable things that stuck with us after we closed the book were the lessons and advice given to, and by, Joe. Some of them are listed here:

“The smallest mistake sometimes casts the longest shadow. When a house falls down, the first termite to bite into it is just as much to blame as the last.” –Tim, Joe’s first boss

“The people we service, they visit the night, But we live in it. They rent what we own.” -Tim

“The night. It’s got its own set of rules.” - Joe

“There are no rules but the ones a man makes for himself.” - Joe


Luckily none of us intend to embark on a life of crime, but you just never know when advice may come in handy. Next month we’re reading Ghostman by Roger Hobbs. This is a new to us author, so we’re looking forward to a great discussion.


You can read more entries from the Crime & Beyond book club here