An Exercise in Creativity

Sometimes you just gotta get out the glitter and let the creative juices flow. Plus, we needed some coasters.

Studio Time

Photo via the Daily Heller

So, undoubtedly I am late to the party, but have you seen Daniel Merriam's work? It is amazing, breathtaking, inspiring... and makes me want desperately to pick up a paintbrush. I don't think my family will mind if I take over the kitchen for my studio, do you?

The Only Terry Gilliam Movie I Have Ever Loved

I want to love Terry Gilliam's films. They have everything: Quirky characters, witty bon mots, unique story lines, and interesting sets. Still, every time I sit down to watch, I find that I just... don't. Until now.

The truth is, of course, I am going to be biased towards anything with the word "imaginarium" in the title. Disregarding that for the moment, I have to tell you: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnanssus is just gorgeous. It is everything that I have ever wanted in a Gilliam film, and have never been given. I may never forgive myself for missing it in Theaters. The set and costumes are so fantastic and multilayered that it is a small miracle that they don't overpower the characters. Plus, Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, all playing the same character. Can we just stop and think about that for a moment.

Ok, now that we are done with that. It is safe to say that even the 4 in 1 mysterious stranger did not diminish the other characters who were so mesmerizing as to appear larger than life even on my small screen.

This one is making the list.

Work Week

I took some pictures at work to show you. Last week we were scrambling to finish a mini-line of firefighter tees for the Fire show in Portland. Here are a few of the works in progress.

A layer of white ink.

Add some color.

Voila! Fiery wings!

Walking

A little bit of neglect can sometimes thrill me.

Corners of my Own

I won't play catch up. Not today, though I have pictures from as far back as Easter that I took to show you, but then did not. Mildly ironic seeing how my first post ever was candy colored Easter eggs, 151 posts ago. Instead I will simply show you a few corners of my own. Little almost vignettes that have been making me smile lately. A few special 25 cent purchases from our morning yard sale foray. Yes, that is an aluminum needle gauge. Yes, I did plop down a quarter for that pamphlet of lacy crochet edgings because the cover is so perfectly lovely. Yes, I am very pleased with the color combination of my morning 75 cents well spent.

This last one is for Lynda, kindred spirit across miles of land and ocean. There are more in my collection, but I am only showing the most organized bit.

Most of All

Spoiler alert. Kind of. If you are really sensitive about being told anything at all about a movie before you have seen it.

And these are the things I love Most of All about Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland:

#1 "You've lost your muchliness. You are not as... muchly, as you used to be"

#2 The clothes. Oh, Alice's clothes, and the way they seem to be effortlessly twisted from yards of lace, and ribbon, and cloth. If my own wardrobe could be similarly constructed, I should wear nothing but ribbons, satin, and chiffon all of the time.

#3 Anne Hathaway as the White Queen playing the White Queen. There are no words.

#4 Alice's hair. And I thought, if I actually got a haircut, and got up in time to style my hair, and by some miracle found just the right products, there is a remote possibility that my hair could actually look like that. This never happens. Usually, I just think, "Wow, they have great hair. My hair will never look like that."

Lucky

You seriously have to love a man who cleans the kitchen AND makes coffee while you sleep in.

Showing Off

This is just a little post for all of my non-ravelry readers (non-knitters) because I know they like a good reveal as much as the next person. These pictures are of a couple of projects that went of to a couple of favorite people in some little surprise packages. I know first hand the joy of opening up a package and thinking, " All of those stitches! For me?" and the joy of making each stitch just for someone special.

Silk Seed Stitch Cowl

Alpaca/Silk Ruffled Scarf

Wise Decisions

Today dawned bright with promise and sunshine in the way that only a paid holiday really can. After a bit of cleaning and opening of the windows (I told you there was sunshine) I took a little walk around the yard. Even in the new light of early (very early) spring, the yard still looks very... wintery. The unwelcome mulch of leaves and brown plants covers mostly everything, and blackberries are slouching about all over the place. Windblown branches and bits of wood from the woodpile are strewn about in a most untidy way. The outdoors needs a bit of spring cleaning. I chose instead to enjoy the promising green buds pushing through the brown mulch. I chose to admire the way the sun (the sun!) made sparkles in the very green, albeit overgrown grass. Try not to judge me too harshly.

God, I love This Woman

There are two bookstores in my little town. No small miracle considering the aforementioned lack of any decent grocery stores. However, both of these bookstores are really quite fabulous actually; one being full of stairs and nooks and attached to not only a really good bakery, but also to a pub. The other bookstore is neat and clean and extremely well organized, and it has a cat. Normally, I prefer my bookstores to be a bit more cluttered and filled with piles. You know, as if you never quite know what you might stumble upon. This bookstore has no clutter, but it has the redeeming feature of a wonderful proprietor. She is knowledgeable, and talkative, but not in an annoying way, and asks open ended questions that encourage you to talk, which may explain why she seems to know everything about every book, ever. I visited both stores today. I was looking for a cookbook, but as you might well imagine, Mastering the Art of French Cooking cannot be found for less than $40 anywhere. Go figure. I did however find The Big-Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner)( It was filed in the cookbook section, and so was obviously not found at the well organized store) by Jill Connor Browne.

God, I love this woman. I do not think that I can begin to explain to you how this woman changed my life. Every time I read, or re-read one of her books I wonder how I lived without her. I am so, so relieved that when my best girl Cassi Mae said to me, "Go out tomorrow, and buy her book." I did it. And so should you. All of her books are perfect actually, but if you start out with, say, the Sweet Potato Queen's Book of Love, you will understand, for example, why everyone is called Tammy, which is kind of important. I always think that I will be able to explain why this woman has had such an impact on me, and thousands of other people, but I never can. You just have to read it for yourself. So go! Buy the Book of Love, or any other book you can get your hands on. You will not regret it.

What a Woman Wants

So, not having seen the movie, I am reading Julie and Julia. I have heard that Amy Adams is saccharine sweet in the role of Julie, and I just want you all to know that the Julie in the book is not particularly sweet. She is in fact, very real, and dirty mouthed, and rather naughty. I like her a lot. She also has a fascination with Buffy the Vampire Slayer to which I can relate and as a result, all I want to do is sit and watch old Buffy episodes and knit. I have, at the moment exactly 5 projects that I want to be knitting. Simultaneously. And not for the first time it occurs to me how handy it would be to have eight arms like that goddess. Shiva, I looked it up. The Hindu goddess also called, "The Auspicious One." I'll take it.

Now we all know that what a woman wants is a supernaturally long life, unfading beauty, boundless funds, a beautiful man who is completely devoted to us, a loving family, and the ability to protect the ones we love from all harm, forever. Oh, and not having to sleep would be great too. We know this because of the seemingly infinite popularity of the Twilight series, not just with the screaming teen masses, but also with their mothers and aunties. Anyone who thinks this craze is all about that Pattinson kid is a moron. I dare them to read the last book of the series and tell me that Stephanie Myers didn't reach right into the female mind and dredge up her impossible dreams. But barring that, I'll take eight arms.