"Firefly Crown"

Performed by The Uke Box
Written by Shelley Rickey
The Uke Box - Firefly Crown by The Uke Box

Bare feet walkin’ ‘cross the muddy ground
Feed-sack dress, firefly crown
Pack my bag and pawn my ring
Ride that rail to New Orleans

I’m goin’ down, goin’ down
Further than I’ve ever been
Change my name and choose my friends
I’m goin’ down, goin’ down
Down that lamp lit road
LuLu’s waitin’ so I’ve been told

Velvet shoes 'pon a polished floor
Madame opens the parlour door
Hungry hands and thirsty souls
Bloody sheet and coin of gold

I’m goin’ down, goin’ down
Further than I’ve ever been
Faceless favors for nameless men
I’m goin’ down, goin’ down
If my price you pay
Count my coins and sleep all day

Rushin’ boots through the pourin’ rain
Whistle blowin’, A boardin’ train
Money made by selling me
Money used to set me free

I’m goin’ down, goin’ down
Further than I’ve ever been
Small towns passin’ the window pane
I’m goin’ down, goin’ down
On my knees to pray
Black bird sings then she flies away

Bare feet walkin’ 'cross the muddy ground
Feed-sack dress, firefly crown

This is one classy Paper Bag...

Rarely do i get excited about a 'bag' but this is NEAT-O. I'm assuming that the pattern, pictured below, was issued in a newspaper. (If newspapers were this creative and fun today they might not have wound up in so much damn trouble!) I really want to print this out on some sturdy card and make one. And look, you can customize it with your own initials!

I found this on "Agence Eureka", a blog by Pita ou Franck from Rhône-Alpes Ain, France. They have several fabulous blogs full of vintage ephemera.

Click on the image to ZOOM and check out all the great detail such as the stitching and the texture of the 'leather' and 'lambs wool'.

For Clarity of Voice...

NIGROIDS. I found this intriguing little tin, measuring just 1 3/4inch x 1 1/4inch, in a box of notions i recieved from my girlfriend Miqi. She had acquired this box from an elderly lady friend who had passed away. Of course, the name caught my eye. "Nigroids". Not sure what to make of that. The candy is black and it's sweet. Is the name then offensive? Further, i saw that it was recommended for 'voice' which i found very intersting. On the inside of the tin it states...

"The success enjoyed by Nigroids is due to the use of the highest quality Ext. Glycyrrhizae and no less than 2.06% Menthol."

Hmmmm... but wait, it gets better....

It goes on to say...

"Nigroids should be sucked as often as necessary and for enjoyment. The strong tin enables you to carry Nigroids always."

Cooooool! But, unfortunately, this tin was filled with straight pins, which actually seemed tempting after reading that last little bit of lascivious copywrite.
Since discovering this little gem i have found out via wikipedia that "Nigroids is the brand name of a liquorice sweet made by Ernest Jackson & Company Ltd of Crediton in Devon. The small black pellets are particularly marketed as an expectorant lozenge for singers, using the slogan "for clarity of voice"."

On the Ernest Jackson Company website they describe themselves as "a specialist manufacturer of medicated confectionery". MEDICATED CONFECTIONERY?!! This is a dream come true y'all.

To add to my glee, i found a trader online that specializes in vintage ephemera and advertising paraphernalia which has the exact tin box listed for 14 bucks... BONUS!

What 'type' are you?

This is so neat... I love letter types. I have an arsenal of them in my fontbook and LOVE to thumb through them when starting a new design project.

Over at Pentagram they have a test you can take to find out what 'type' you are. Even if you don't give a damn what 'type' you are, the production of this quiz is so clever it's well worth visiting. Here, take a look for yourself.

Oh, and i found out that i am the 'Dot Matrix' type... Funny, that is one lettertype that i didn't have in my fontbook...

The Alien Cowboy Ukulele

Now this is one cool uke, y'all. It's been customized by Howlin' Quin de Vreede for The Jumping Flea Market. Check it out in Black Light, Baby. The Alien Cowboy & The Three Eyed Crocodiles Glow! To see the rest of this uke and much more, visit The New Jumping Flea Market on MakersMarket!

I was accepted...

To be a vendor on "MakersMarket"! MakersMarket is a new online Market curated by Make Magazine and Boing Boing. This is, as my girlfriend, Kalisa, would say, "A Big Damn Dot Com Deal"! Funny how things work, I was just getting ready to open a Shopify store. Shopify is a site where anyone can set up an online store. It's a pretty neat way to get your products online. But then yesterday, i saw that Make was starting their own Market so i applied immediately. By coincidence i was corresponding with Mr.BoingBoing himself, Mark Frauenfelder, and he asked me to let him know if i wanted to be in the BoingBoing Bazaar. When i told him i had just applied that very morning he said he would take a look to see if my application had come in. A few minutes later i received a letter of acceptance. Wooohoooo! So, Screw Shopify, this is waaaaay cooler!

A huge thank you to Mark, you probably have no idea how much that first post about my cigarbox ukulele changed my life. And a thank you to the team at MakersMarket. I'm thrilled to be a part of the team! So, i'm off to fill the shelves of my new shop. This is going to be good!

The Ravenscrag Ukulele

Click on the image and ZOOM.

This is a Bruko Archback Ukulele No.4, a fine uke made by a family-owned company in Germany, which i have customized to depict the voyage of the Ravenscrag.

The SS Ravenscrag was a British barque, historically most famous for bringing Portuguese immigrants Joao Fernandes, Augusto Dias, Jose do Espirito Santo and Manuel Nunes to the islands, as these men are considered to have introduced the ukulele to Hawaii.

This ship sailed from Madeira and reached Honolulu on the 23rd of August in 1879. This date is now honored as the birth of the ukulele.


I came across this bit of history via an essay written by the late John King entitled, 'New History of the Origins and Development of the 'Ukulele, 1838-1915'. So incredibly interesting. A wealth of inspiration for more custom ukes to come.

The Ravenscrag Ukulele is available via 'The Jumping Flea Market' Etsy Shop. This instrument will also be a part of the Artist's Ukulele Collection to be shown on MuseumNight in Rotterdam. These and more 'Musical Wonders & Curiosities' will soon be available via 'The Jumping Flea Market' online gallery. Coming Soon!

Ukuleles: Artist's Editions

Lately, i've been asking artists to customize ukuleles for me as part of a new project. An amazing group of artists are participating and there are yet more to come. These ukuleles, along with other Musical Wonders and Curiosities, will be sold in my new Shopify Gallery, The Jumping Flea Market (coming soon!)

The first presentation of these instruments will occur on MuseumNight in Rotterdam at the beautiful Historic Museum, Het Schielandshuis. Participating artists are: Quin de Vrede, Marc Kolle, Rene Verberne, Guido de Groot, Johan Xtra, Daniel van Nes and myself. Here is a sneak preview of a ukulele done by the wonderful, Marc Kolle. Marc is an illustrator often featured in prominent newspapers, magazines and websites.
Click on the image and ZOOM.

The Latin on the front of the Ukulele says, 'The Sun Shines For All Of Us', thus, the Barefoot Angel in Green Pastures and The Poor Devil upon Scorched Earth are both turning towards it. On the back, the musical notes from 'Keep On The Sunny Side' form a halo around St. Ukulelus, The Patron Saint of Ukuleles. He has a flask of fine brandy tucked into his belt and at his feet lay his humble pay.

Wonderful piece isn't it?!! Well, i can assure you, the others are amazing as well. If you are close to Rotterdam on the 6th of March be sure not to miss this fabulous display. And, stay tuned for this and many more fabulous works of musical art on The Jumping Flea Market. In the meantime, if you just can't wait and are interested in purchasing this uke by Marc Kolle, drop me a line!

Let's Ukulele on MuseumNight in Rotterdam!

The 9th Rotterdam MuseumNight on the 6th of March will be bigger than ever and promises to be a shimmering experience till the smallest details. For the occasion 'The Uke Box' will be putting on a show in the beautiful Historische Museum Rotterdam, Het Schielandshuis. Under the MuseumNight theme, XS/XL, we'll be using the smallest of all string instruments to make the biggest impression on the evening!


Ukulele Intervention
What? You don't play ukulele yet? We can fix that! We'll have a couple of sacks full of ukuleles with us which we will pass out and within a half hour we will all be playing a song together, accompanied by song and a Washtub Bass.
The Uke Box
Shelley Rickey & Marko van der Horst take you to a bygone era with a charming performance on the most humble of all musical instruments. But, don't be mistaken, this is NOT your grandfathers ukulele!
The Big Damn Ukulele Band
An XL Ukulele Band 30+ Man Strong, The Largest Ukulele Ensemble in the Lowlands!
Ukulele Exhibit
Diverse Artists from Rotterdam have transformed ukuleles into amazing pieces of art. 9 unique examples will be displayed on the evening.

Also on the evening...
Rotterdams Fashion King & illustrator Cargelli celebrates his 80th Birthday. Participate in the 80 Portrets-Estafette from Cargelli & Co and discover your true face. And, dance in the style of the Roaring Twenties Nightclub to the 78's of DJ Blue Flamingo!

All times and details yet to follow. Stay Tuned!

Oh my,... I can't believe it. I just can't believe it....

The New Orleans Saints
are
The 2010 Superbowl Champions!

Another thing i can't believe is this drawing. Kalisa, my best friend in highschool, sent this picture to me after the game. She said I gave it to her as a graduation present in 1984. When i saw the photograph i knew it had to be my drawing but i had completely forgotten about it. And, she still has it... Wow!

She said that she got it out at half time and that's why The Saints got such a boost in the second half. Needless to say, the Saints winning the Superbowl had me screaming and crying and laughing at the same time but that Kalisa still had my drawing.... that just sent me! Strange thing though being in Holland during this celebration, but in my heart and soul, i'm back home doing the second line.

And speaking of being back home. Thank goodness for the internet. I was able to stream the game and more importantly i virtually attended the Superbowl Party at my folks house via a video call on Skype. Fantastic to feel like i could be there with them and watch as they LOST THEIR MINDS when we won. What a night, What a beautiful beautiful night. WHO DAT!

via Collectelevize

From my sketchbook...