Pardon me while I...............................

Ahem. Squee.

Sorry about that, but I just had my memory jogged about a favorite pair of films from my formative years, namely, Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers/The Four Musketeers.

Yes, we all developed raging crushes over Michael York, of course, though I was secretly carrying a torch for Oliver Reed as the broody, violent Athos (left, featuring sarcastic grin). And why not, I ask you?

During the VHS years, you couldn't find this thing on video. Director Lester hadn't TOLD his cast he was going to split the film into two movies, you see, and legal mayhem ensued.  I gave up a long time ago and  contented myself with the occasional sighting on TV. So this morning, when I mentioned it to someone, I figured, what the heck? Google the sucker. Lo, it's on DVD!

I ordered it, plus the Mizoguchi Fallen Women boxed set (which I'll get in October), to take advantage of Amazon's shipping discount. (I know "free" shipping isn't really free, but a discount is a discount.)

(Checks to see if anyone is looking.) Squee.

EDIT. OMG. Look at Michael York's latchet shoes! The costuming in this production rocks - except that they could not convince Raquel Welch that she wouldn't have her boobs up around her chin if she wore a proper corset and she insisted on having her costumes remade. She turned herself into the sore thumb of the production.

The easy part is done

I went with the grid style game board top for the sugoroku box because the only one I've seen that didn't have it is the Chinese looking board in the Shoso-in collection. However, I LOVE the Shoso-in board's crescent moon motif, so I incorporated it here.

Despite carefully masking off all the lines with tape, there was a little bit of bleeding because the liquid leaf is so fine. I will go back later and clean it up with a little black paint and my really fine brush.


Now I am faced with the blank expanses of box sides.... What to put on them!



POOH! My thinnest brush does not appear to be quite thin enough - you can see where I've sanded and painted out a couple of water lines on here.  It doesn't help that the consistency of the liquid leaf is really liquid AND fast drying at the same time. I had to go back and put a second coat on the cartwheels because of it, though I do draw a mean cartwheel.

Weirdest request for advice ever.

Just because I know a little bit about historical Japanese textiles does not mean I know what materials were used to wrap the sheath and hilt of a WW1 vintage trench knife issued to a member of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Flattering in a weird way, but no, dude!

I gave him the Antiques Roadshow speech about not doing anything to change the condition of the artifact as it may affect the value negatively and I suggested he find an antiques dealer/appraiser/expert who is more likely to know about WW1 weapons for advice.