Pretty!

Love this dress. Those colors are gorgeous. Find it here.

Still in a Weepies kind of mood

Bandit Queen

Kristen made me my very own super cool banner for my brand new etsy shop.

She's incredibly talented. If you need a super cool banner too, pay her a visit. Her prices are ridiculously low for her skillz.

I'm thrilled!

bury my regret

I have a crush on this jacket

So pretty! Found at Bluefly.

What to do while making lots of masks

Watch lots of movies of course.

I really liked the PBS series Country Boys. Being a teenager is awful and awkward enough. These poor boys had even more to deal with. I was struck by how much the two teenagers reminded me of boys I knew growing up in my little hometown.

I also watched Quiz Show. John Turturro! Ralph Fiennes! And even Rob Morrow who I've grown so familiar with because of the endless amounts of Northern Exposure dvds on my Netflix queue. Good movie!

Plus I breezed though this pretty graphic novel. I've been on a bit of a graphic novel kick lately - probably in reaction to some fo the huge tomes I've been reading. I've also been tearing through the Fables series.

Fairy tales united an a violent bloody battle against the mysteriously and vaguely named "Adversary". I am always a fairy tale junkie so this series is right up my alley (and handily reservable from my local library).

Thursday!

So nerdily excited for this Thursday. Why? Well cause The Office is back of course.

Also looking forward to My Name Is Earl and Scrubs, but The Office tops the list.

I'm okay with my nerdy giddyness. Who doesn't need a weekly fix of Dwight?

Etsy shop started!

I finally did it and opened my very own etsy shop. Bout time too! My husband has had a bit of success as has my friend Kristen.

I've started with some masks, but I'll be adding garlands and artwork too. I simply don't have the focus required to stick to one type of thing.

Here's what's listed so far:

I need to redo some of those photos. I was just so excited to be ready that I didn't spend enough time on fussing with the photos. I have more masks in the works.

Did I mention how much I lurve Halloween? I'm excited. Plus getting this shop started is on my list.

Rootless Tree

Mustard

Love this shirt! Ungodly expensive, but so pretty!

Katharine Hepburn-ish garb

Love these outfits from Margaret Howell's collection. Found via Shiny Squirrel (which I'm always amazed by).

Annoying young ladies and very cool old ladies

I did some movie watching last night while crafting. I watched Driving Miss Daisy which was sweet and wonderful. Jessica Tandy was a great actress, and I have a soft spot in my heart for old folks who don't mind looking old.

I also watched LA Confidential. I had no clue Russell Crowe wa sin it or Kevin Spacey. I just saw it as a big ol Kim Basinger movie. Good movie - not great.

I read Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm this week. It made me want to gag on the wretched sweetness of it. If I grew up with Rebecca, I'd probably want to puch her into her sunny brook and hope she never came out again. Blech!

Stuck in my head

And now it shall be stuck in your heads as well.

Library Addiction

I am obviously a super book nerd. My list of checked out library materials is almost shameful. I've been reading a really interesting book blog, A Work in Progress, and the author shares her list of checked out materials.

Here's my insane list:

1. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm - my current read. Its quick which is the only good thing I have to say about it at the moment. She's so annoyingly good, and the author loves to remind you all the time about how much better and more interesting and more intelligent Rebecca is than the other children she knows. Its obnoxious. I'm starting to hope for a tragic downfall for the little snot. I picked it up because its a classic, and if it weren't such a quick read, I'd have quit and taken it back to the library before now.

2. Last Call by Tim Powers - I picked this up because I read somewhere that his books inspired the HBO Carnivale series. Its going back to the library before I even crack it open. The story sounds interesting, but the type is impossible. Maybe I'll reserve a different edition of this one.

3. Ocean
4. The Deep - both picked up because of their prettiness. Astounding ocean photography to marvel at and ponder as inspiration for oddball craft projects. Probably won't read hardly any of these - just look at the pictures.

5. The Straight Man by Richard Russo - picked up because I loved Empire Falls.

6. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - I have a desire to read all of Montgomery's books. Makes sense to start at the begining. Plus Anne is far less annoying than Rebecca.

7. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer - I get a desire for something in a Regency setting now and then. Heyer is a classic and I've not read a single book of hers so far.

8. Femme fatale : love, lies, and the unknown life of Mata Hari - nonfiction book picked up on impulse from the new book section.

9. The Great Influenza - another nonfiction book that's been on my to-read list forever.

10. The Black Tulip by Dumas - Loved The Count of Monte Cristo, but I've never even heard of this one.

11. Setting Free the Bears - Also trying to read all of Irvings novels. The type on this one is not so great either, but I may give it a shot anyway.

12. Clouds and Eclipses by Gore Vidal - Never read any of his work and short stories seemed a good way to dip my toe in.

13. Fables: Homelands by Bill Willingham - A graphic novel series that I'm currently hooked on. I'm okay with geeking out now and then.

Plus movies:
1. Quiz Show - Robert Redford!
2. LA Confidential
3. Driving Miss Daisy
4. Country Boys
First three picked because I'm on an Oscar nominated movie watching kick. The last is a documentary I've heard good things about.

And if that's not nutty enough, I'm into books on tape in the car now.
1. The Brief History of the Dead - so freaking good so far!
2. Running with Scissors by Augusten Borroughs - I'm curious to see what the hype is about


The good thing is my library has insane amounts of time you can borrow books for as long as no one else has a reserve placed for it. Plus I'm able to reserve most of my stuff online and just pick them up. I think I end up reading at least half of what I check out at any given time. I just need a large selection so I'm prepared for whatever mood strikes me.

The War

On Sunday I'll be tuning into this:

According to the PBS site:
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns. The series explores the most intimate human dimensions of the greatest cataclysm in history — a worldwide catastrophe that touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America — and demonstrates that in extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives.

Maybe its just me

But the latest catalog for Urban Outfitters is chock full of ugly. Just saying.

I bought a new dress - 3 new dresses actually!

I got this lovely thing from Banana Republic. Its so comfy and cute!


And then a black and white plaid jumber and a pretty blue and gold dress from Target (can't find pictures of either of those on their website for some reason). Kristen was my co-conspirator. She kept saying how buying a dress was like getting a shirt AND pants but cheaper since its a complete outfit.

Now I just need some cute flats....

Best book in a long time

I just finished Atonement by Ian McEwan last night. So good! So very very very good! I shall be raving about this one for a long long while.



And its being made into a movie. Can't wait!




A watched Mrs. Brown last night. Love Billy Connolly - who can resist a fellow with a Scottish brogue? Especially one who reminds me of one of my fave literature teachers in college (must be the beard and the sparkly eyes). Mostly it was a slow Englich sort of story. Just the sort of thing I love.

We Both Go Down Together

Who's gonna take me to see The Decemberists?

So girly

Love the third dress from the left:

The second from the right is pretty great too - especially with that lil jackety piece.

From Lela Rose's collection and found via A Cup of Jo.

Emmy Dresses

I very rarely watch award shows and last night was no exception. But I do like looking at the pretty pictures of clothes the morning after. Here's what I like:

Glam!

Saw a lot of dresses with belts. This is the only one that really worked for me. I like her hair too! Plus she no longer looks like Skeletor.

Love the colors of the above four dresses. Vibrant and dramatic.

It seems like a lot of folks don't like Jenna Fischer's dress, but I think its great. Love the lush fabric - maybe she should have just lost the big bow.

Truckers & a Women's Prison (and other stuff)

Gonzalez & Daughter Trucking Company was delightful. Absolutely delightful. Trucker lingo, the politics of a Mexican women's prison, and a tale of growing up on the road. Light and fun and engrossing.

Watched Unforgiven last night. Liked parts of it but I thought the story wasn't terribly deep.

Cloud Atlas was a strange read. Layers upon layers of stories that were really interesting. I'm impressed with the writer's skill throughout, but it won't be an all time favorite I don't think.

I need to own this soundtrack

It Ain't Bragging If Its True

Love this song

Beirut's Elephant Gun

Pretties

Love this look from the L'Wren Scott spring collection. Spotted it on Shiny Squirrel's site.


And these dresses from the Derek Lam collection were posted on A Dress A Day. Absolutely stunningly beautiful! And with pockets!

And of course not all my clothes-looking is at strikingly unaffordable designer clothes. This look from flickr's wardrobe remix is so cute and wearable. Wonder if my tj max is carrying that plaid skirt?

Wardrobe Overhaul

My look is in need of some serious help. I need to work harder at this. I have things in my closet from 12 years ago! Things I would like to incorporate into the new improved me:

• Scarves - I love how they look on many women. I can do that too!
• Some new hairstyles - I have two looks. My hair is either down or in a ponytail. Sad.
• Some retro maybe even rockabilly-ish pieces to mix into my clothes.
• New makeup techniques
• More dresses! - They are so easy. No thinking involved. I just need to have them in my closet so I can throw the suckers on and go.

Now if I only had the funds to go on a big shopping spree and get me some new items. I guess this may be a slow process, but I can start by purging my closet and keeping my eyes and mind pen at the thrift shops.

So you are warned that I'll be posting many pictures of clothes and looks I like. It helps my ideas percolate.

Another Oldy

I watched Guess Who's Coming to Dinner last night. The boy tried to sit through but bailed out at the halfway mark. I love Katherine Hepburn though so of course watched the whole thing. It was sweet and probably really forward thinking when it was made in 1967. A tad bit draggy though.

Rest assured that I will not be going anywhere near the Ashton Kutcher re-make. Blech.

Inspiration

I can cross off #2 on my list. The amazing Jen has posted hers and already has things crossed off. I'll share links to any other folks who post their lists too.

Maggie Smith and Adorable French Children

I watched The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie today. I liked it but I didn't love it. I was happy to see a different take on the school teacher - not the usual perfect hero Dead Poets Society type.

And I watched this little gem weeks ago, but I neglected to post about it. Just a sleepy documentary of a one room school house in France, but so sweet and inspiring. The headmaster deals with all ages of children and even one with special needs. He's wonderfully stern and encouraging and real. I loved it.

Makes Me Smile

Prince of Tides - one word review

Meh.

How's Your News?

I'm listening to an old podcast from This American Life today. The first part of the Special Ed broadcast had be shaking I was laughing so hard. The California song is sweet and hilarious.

I immediately added How's Your News? to my Netflix queue.

Hmmmmm

Wine sounds good right now (which is bad cause its only noon on a Monday). I would do about anything for a bottle of Westerland's Pinotage right now. If you like red wine, check it out. Its delightful. In fact, I am rather hooked on South African red wines lately. Any good suggestions?

Regina Spektor

Love this song too even though it makes me wanna bawl.

"And he told me that I'd done alright..."

Another song I love

Sorry - I can't remember what smart missy posted this first.

101 List progress

I am making some progress on my 101 list. I've purchase an adorable pair of eyeglasses (#17). I'm getting my other wisdom tooth pulled out Wednesday (#24). And I've watched some Oscar Winners (part of my extra credit).

Here's a shot of my spiffy new specs:

I will spare you all pictures of the wisdom tooth pulling.

Sarah Bareilles has an Amazing Voice

Also

I almost forgot - I also watched The Aviator. So loooooooooooong. But I did think Cate Blanchett was amazing as Katharine Hepburn. Doesn't look like her at all but she practically channeled her in the film.

Whiling Away my Time

I've been ravenously reading books and watching movies when I really should be enjoying the last bit of summer. I don't know what's wrong with me.

But here's what I've been up to.

I read Pirates! An Adventure with Scientists in a day. Brief and silly but not as silly as I would have hoped. I don't know if I'll pick up any more of this fellow's books.

I watched the PBS/BBC series Regency House Party which is the fabulous combination of educational and realty tv. Luckily the personalities are not insane like on most realty shows so it was really fun to see the costumes and the house. The various shows they've done about different time periods mainly teach of to be thankful for the feminist movement. Life over the ages has traditionally sucked for women.

I love Katharine Hepburn & Cary Grant. Why then have I never watched The Philadelphia Story? Loved it!

I watched Strangers in Good Company - a docudrama about senior women and its slow and wonderful and mad me get a little teray eyed now and then when they flashed to pictures of these old dames in their younger days. The set up is all fictitious but almost everything the women say and do is unscripted and comes from their own experiences. Really lovely.


Here's one of those nice moments when the movie is on par with the book. I loved 84, Charing Cross Road when I read it and liked it just as much watching it. It doesn't hurt that I think Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft are amazing.

This is a young adult novel I breezed through in a day - The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It looks like a tome at 500 and some pages but at least half of it is drawings. It was alright. Nothing spectacular in my book.

Okay, so I seem to be on an Anthony Hopkins or a Katharine Hepburn kick. Lion in Winter is great. Did I mention that I really like Peter O'Toole too?
I also watched The Quiet Man - cute but the spousal dragging about is a bit much I think. And for all my love of old movie starts, I can't really drum up a whole lot of enthusiasm for John Wayne. I'm fascinated with Maureen O'Hara's blue and red costume in the beginning. Its bright and almost gypsy-ish.