UNSCHEDULED MOVIE LIST

The flu hit me (+ seven other people in my office) like a ton of bricks this weekend. Three days in bed + an additional day with Vertigo from sinus congestion. So what did I do during the few hours I was somewhat coherent? Watch movies!

• A Home at the End of the World
  
• Hotel~ one of the worst movies I've ever seen.
• Off The Map~ Good, but as far as families-living-off-the-grid movies go, I enjoyed The Ballad of Jack + Rose more.
• Till Human Voices Wake Us~ I have picked this up several times + put it down. I am so glad I finally decided to watch it because it definitely could have been included in Beautiful Film Week.
• Mysterious Skin~ I would not say that I enjoy Gregg Araki movies, but I am strangely drawn to them. Disturbing, violent + difficult to watch, but if you can stomach it...
• Sherry Baby~ This woman walks through the doors of my office 10 times a day so I'm not sure why I rented this movie.

SPEEDY GONZALEZ + A PAIR OF SIZE 12 KNITTING NEEDLES (+ THAT BIG ANNOUNCEMENT)

It would take another skein of my hand spun yarn to make a scarf, so I decided to make a scarflette. Since discovering them on Etsy nearly 2 years ago I wanted one + with the collective help of my Knit Babe friends I've made my own. It's warm + cozy + I almost feel like one of Ashley's Bearded Guys.

I'll eventually get a button, but for now I'm using a wood pin my boy gave me, made by a local artist (with no web presence).

Hey, did you know that Stephanie Congdon-Barnes started another blog? She was one of the bloggers who original inspired me to start one of my own.

Oh! And as for our BIG news:

The BIG news is that we are house hunting. I did not want to say anything prematurely, but since we have our financing in order I feel comfortable making this announcement. I'm not going to post the blow-by-blow details because I am superstitious, but I'll definitely update with concrete happenings along the way.

We moved to Middle Tennessee temporarily 9-years ago + it's become home. We are tired of being renters + want to be home owners. It's time. We are ready.

I AM NOT A MACHINE

This is what I had to tell myself all through my book arts classes in college. OK, step back, this is what my professor told me to tell myself as I worked on projects. She got frustrated with me + said that perfection was for a machine + if I wanted perfect that I just needed to buy commercially produced pieces + do all my print work on a computer.

I take the "measure twice + cut once" approach, but I'm long over my perfection obsession. Case in point: my hand spun yarn + the scarf I am knitting with it. It's a big 'Ol mess, but I am really enjoying working with yarn that I spun. REALLY imperfect, knobby yarn.

OK, I'm going to step back again + say that when it comes to hand cutting + folding all the paper for my cards I'm still a bit concerned about precision. Perhaps I can just chalk it up to "attention to detail."

Cabin fever must be setting in because I'm itching to work in the studio.

HOMEWORK

{Image lifted from the People magazine site}

A co-worker gave me a weekend homework assignment to watch An Officer and a Gentleman. I am a HUGE movie buff, but surprisingly I had never seen this one. I really enjoyed it but have to say the ending was a bit anti-climactic because, well you have to have been living under a rock not to know how this move ends. And damn-it if I wasn't singing "Up Where We Belong" for the next 24 hours (a-la a really bad Joe Cocker impression, of course!).

I admit that I recently watched Footloose for the first time + that I really need to see The Blue Brothers. It's a movie I reference on a regular basis (I cannot see a whole chicken without mentioning white toast) but I have never actually seen it.

I think I'll try to catch-up on movies that I somehow missed along the way. These would be in the "I can't believe you've never seen (fill in the blank)" catagory.

SPINNING [SUN]DAY

Sleeping kitty + wool for spinning

Sunday was spent at Claudia's studio with the Book Babes knitting + spinning sub-group. 7 people + 4 wheels (only 3 were photographed). I worked on the the Louet wheel (first photo), which reminded me of this Moholo-Nagy photo.

The others were very beautiful, but seemed like they had too many parts + this one was basic, low-tech.

I was originally content on knitting, but gave spinning a try + have to say that I really did enjoy it. Below is my first attempt + it looks like I made dreadlocks (at one point I was wearing the skein like hair) but time might refine my technique. Next step is washing the yarn.

Now I must resist searching e-bay for a good deal on a wheel.

CRAFTY GET-TOGETHER

Heather, Jenn + I all gathered at Beth's for a [Satur]day 'O craft.

Jenn's goal was to work on some quilting + since Beth is VERY good at it + has a beautiful Bernina, she was the obvious choice to turn to for help. Beth also made us homemade spicy black bean + corn soup. Such the hostess!

Heather + I were content to work on our knitting projects. Actually, we talked pretty much non-stop, watched Project Runway + Flight of The Conchords + hardly got anything done.

Heather also modeled Beth's vintage hats + with her kick-y retro glasses they looked so good on her.

Beth's house is WAY over-stimulating, so much great stuff to look at, which added to the non-production of the day. I fell in love with Amy Butler's Midwest Modern, but had a post-traumatic moment over the loss of this couch, which looks remarkably like Amy Butler's couch (above right photo). Heather consoled me the first time around + was there to console me yet again.

And there were LOTS of exchanges + give aways, fabric, books, paper, prints + Beth found LALA lip balm!

Things have been a little stressful (but exciting!) these past two weeks (details on that soon) + I needed this day SO badly. We had so much fun + decided to make our get-togethers a little more regular. Next time we are descending upon Jenn's new house.

Here's Beth's post about the day.
And Heather posted about the day too.

BEAUTIFUL FILM WEEK (THRS)

Lawrence of Arabia

It is debatable which is more beautiful, the sweeping desert landscapes or Peter O'Toole (my friend puts him in the "painfully beautiful" catagory). What is not debatable is that David Lean made beautiful movies. I only regret that I have not seen Lawrence of Arabia on a big screen, preferrably at The Cinerama Dome in Hollywood.

BEAUTIFUL FILM WEEK (WED)

A Room With A View

(my 1922 edition of the novel)

~Florance, Italy~
~The Italian countryside~
~The interiors~
~The costumes~
~The English countryside~
~The soundtrack with Kiri Te Kanawa's amazing voice~
~And above all Julian Sands as Georoge Emerson~

I had a major obsession with this movie in high school. I watch it every couple years + still get that giddy feeling when Lucy finally confesses her love for George, "of course I love him, what did you all think?" Swoon.

BEAUTIFUL FILM WEEK (TUES)

Tuesday's choice is another movie I have mentioned before,
The Pillow Book


This movie is a must-see for all the paper people, book binders + calligraphers out there. A friend asked me to see it with her + I had not read anything about it, had only seen Ewan McGregor in Shallow Grave (+ was not sure how to pronounce his first name + Trainspotting was not a phenomenon yet) but I think I ended up seeing it 3 times in the theater. This movie is literally layers upon layers of visuals, thick + rich in texture. I have a beat-up VHS copy, which I still watch every now + then, but I REALLY need to buy it on DVD.

BEAUTIFUL FILM WEEK (MON)

I said posting would be sporadic,
but I can't resist participating in
Beautiful Film Week (found via Sulu-design).
For Monday I chose a move I mentioned in my last post,

The Saddest Music in The World

I kept thinking of Metropolis + despite being made in 2003, you would think this movie was unearthed from a much earlier era. The director incorporated antiquated techniques (including Vaseline on the lenses + very old cameras) + the result is a beyond anything you have seen in contemporary film. The story line is ridiculously silly (it's intentional) + the whole thing will leave you confused, inspired + visually stimulated. If you rent it make sure you watch "Tears in The Snow" in the special features which explains all the film making techniques.

Seriously, RENT IT! WATCH IT!

LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME

My current project consists of laying hands on everything I own and deciding if it stays or if it goes (the press stays!). Perhaps the alternate post title should be "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

What I am getting rid of is my collection of 1940's white glazed California pottery, more fabric and other vintage items.

I debated if I should have a little sale through my blog or put things in my Etsy shop. I went the Etsy shop route because it seems like the transaction part would be easier. I have 9 pieces in my shop + these are a few of my favorite (photos are linked to shop listing).

There has been some movie watching this past week

• Penny Dreadful- I saw a review of this movie titled "Pretty Dreadful," yep, that about sums it up.
• Waitress- OK, who did not love this movie? But poor Adrienne Shelly, I kept thinking about her tragic death.
• Hatchet- As you can see I do like horror movies, but this one sucked, even though it starred 2 of the 4 Murray brothers (but neither of them was Bill).
• The Saddest Music in The World- Visually stunning!
• Susana- My Last Sigh, Luis Bunuel's autobiography is one of the most interesting books I've ever read

Thank you for your good wishes. I hate to announce things prematurely because I believe that it can jinx your plans, so I'll let the mystery be for awhile.

WONKY SIMPLICITY

I picked out this apple + funny thing is that it exemplifies how I'm feeling right now- wonky.


And I came across this statement about simplicity I cut out years ago. I don't know 'bout the getting rid of half my friends part.

Potentially great things are on the horizon for me + my boy, details as they unfold. Blogging might be sporadic for the next few weeks, LALA dex press is still open for business, but I'm not able to produce new work at this time. Still sketching though.

OOH, so mysterious.

INTO THE STUDIO

The new ideas aren't exactly flowing, but I figured that if I got back into the studio to make book blocks, at least I would be doing SOMETHING.

I'm sketching + just when I think I have a good idea (like my made-up legend about Bigfoot + Carrie Bradshaw being secret shoe shopping buddies) I sleep on it + reconsider.

Movie watching has been a little heavy this week

• The Dead Girl- excellent + difficult to watch, the segment with "The Mother" tore me up.
• Eastern Promises- consider yourself warned about the steam bath fight scene.
• The Last King of Scotland- violence + torture aside, the interior sets were fantastic, as were the textile designs used for the female costumes.

Trudi @ Double Happiness made a movie list too.

BRICK + MORTAR

I have not had much success with shops in the past + it really made me question what I should do with my little card company. Then I found Etsy, my spirits were revived + I decided that I would not pursue any brick + mortar shops. I'm pleased to say that recently a couple shop owners came calling with wholesale orders.

Pangaea (in Hillsboro Village, Nashville). Fun, funky, eclectic + my favorite shop on Nashville. The owner approached me at the last TACA show + I felt like I had won the wholesale lottery.

p-u-l-p (in Omaha, Nebraska + shown in these 2 photos). It's a shop related to all things paper, including a paper arts gallery with monthly shows. Owner Brigitte McQueen was kind enough to send me an inquiry about a second wholesale order with the subject line "Omaha*hearts*Gnomes!"

(p-u-l-p photos courtesy of owner Brigitte McQueen)

OH DONNA!

I came home to a surprise package from an old friend, Donna (no blog or website, she's just DONNA!), who Googled me, found my blog + now we've reconnected. Inside was this great tote from The Craft Pantry (they have an Etsy shop) + given that I just lost a bunch of my market bags (I left them in a shopping cart) + I'm under the impression that a girl cannot have enough tote bags...
Thank you Donna, I adore you!

I've really enjoyed reading everyone's New Year's posts.

A GIFT FOR ME

disclaimer: this is not New Year's resolution

Last year (1 day into 2008 + it feels weird to say "last year") I made this journal + secretly hoped that it would not sell...and it didn't. After reading The Principles of Uncertainty + perusing the Lotta Jansdotter book numerous times I decided to keep the book. Last Fall I was experiencing a creative momentum, did a few shows + now I feel a little stuck. I know the way to get un-stuck is to start writing + sketching. Funny thing, I've never actually used one of my books.

More movie watching:
Donnie Darko (for the zillionth time)
Once (actually, I'll watch it after I post this)
4 episodes of Pushing Daisies on the ABC site (I love the full episode feature)

I hope everone is well + free from a nasty hangover, it's such a dreadful way to start a new year.