every little thing

Amazing Old Movie Alert, *Part Deux

This is most definitely one of those movies that will make you say, "Why do I even bother watching modern movies anymore?"   I stumbled upon this one on Netflix this week, and I have to stress, I am NOT paid to sponsor Netflix, I SWEAR!  I just really love them so much and they have changed the way I watch movies.  This particular movie is on their "instant view" list, so if you are a netflix member you can go watch it on your computer right-this-very-second.  Who doesn't love that kind of instant gratification? 

I am so very deeply in love with this movie right now.  I could watch it over and over.  Apparently, it's an MGM classic, but I had never heard of it before.  I don't want to describe the plot for fear of ruining the story, but I think I could really recommend it to just about anyone who is into old movies.  Leslie Caron is so gorgeous, and is just  absolutely perfect for the role of a young orphan who is adopted by a traveling carnival.  The male romantic leads are equally dashing, and there is even a small, supporting role played by the fantastic Zsa Zsa Gabor.   

Here is a small clip I found over at the youtube, but please note:  the clip is a tad misleading, as this movie is NOT a musical, by any means.  (There are two choreographed dream sequences, but that's it.  Not that I have anything against musicals, I'm just sayin'....)

   

Did you detect the hint of excitement and wanting in the yound puppeteers eyes at the end of this scene?  But, what about Lili's childish attachment to Marcus the Magician and confirmed playboy?!  Ah, my friends, you shall have to see the movie for yourselves to learn the fate of poor Lili! 

Ok, I'm going to pack orders and watch this movie again, (sigh!)   Hopefully my instant viewing minutes don't run out!   Happy Thursday everyone, and thank you so much for all the great comments and congratulations on my HUGE TV debut...haha.  I love you guys. 

(action)

What a crazy morning!  Oh my goodness!  When my friend Amber called me last week, all she said was, "So, do you wanna be on TV?"  I didn't know how to respond, really (beside my initial stomach twirls and woozy knees.)  Amber had been contacted by Vanessa Coria of  WVEC 13 News to help supplement a story on buying for the Holidays on a budget.  She said that so many people recommended making gifts, instead of buying them, so she searched for Handmade in Norfolk, and stumbled across our Norfolk Craft Mafia Website.  We were so very excited for the opportunity to promote the Mafia and our first show coming up on November 10th!  We gathered handmade goodies from our stash and from other mafia members to feature on the segment, and we also shared a quick marble magnet/book marker tutorial for a super-easy and inexpensive little gift. 

All the filming was done in my house, by the way!  Very cool, and somewhat stressful if you tend to keep a messy, unorganized house like me.  So, don't be fooled by these shiny  pictures; all the hot wheels, laundry and craft projects were shoved  upstairs!

Amber was brave enough to tackle the one-on-one interview, for which I am very grateful.  I am getting such horrible stage fright in my old age, and I have no idea why.  I used to be into drama, and I loved giving oral reports in high school.   It makes no sense at all, I'm much more sure of myself now that I was back then?!  Go figure. 

I did talk on camera about the handmade goodies, and I did most of the tutorial.  I'm not sure how much I'll be in the clip....but you'll definitely see my hands!    Besides Amber and myself, we had pillows and plushies by Cassie, altered art by Jeannine, accessories by Charmaine, pottery by Ashley and knitwear by Tasha. 

It was an awful lot of work for what will be a 1 minute & 45 second news clip!  I was really fascinated with the process though, very intriguing.  And Vanessa had quite a snazzy pedicure, but I don't have pictures of that.  All in all......just your typical Wednesday, right?  :)  If you want to catch the segment (so you can make fun of us later) if will be airing next Friday the 20th in the early morning.  I think they will also have a link on the website too though, and I will be sure to post it on my blog.  (Mr. Camera Man, you better make us look good!) 

Now I'm just relieved that it's over, and I'm looking forward to some vegging tonight with the New Top Model (makeover episode, yee haw!) and Gossip Girl.   Plus the bottom half of the house is clean, so that's a bonus.  I may even make pink popcorn too.  Have I shared that recipe yet?  I don't think so.  You all are not quite ready for it yet.  As my mother always says. "There shall be no pink popcorn before it is time."   

*Also, check back tomorrow for a new "Amazingly Wonderful Old Movie" blog post.  My sister and I discovered and absolute gem of an oldie yesterday, and it's so good I want to make sure everyone watches it immediately. 

October?

Really? Are you sure about that?  'Cause it's gonna be in the nineties today.  Sometimes I really do hate you, crazy Virginia weather.  I have this big stack of vintage wool suiting I've been thrifting throughout the year.  There are some bags I have in my mind to make, but I just can't get into the Autumn spirit.  And you can forget about pumpkin picking and Halloween decorating.  Not gonna happen.  I refuse to brows through gourds and haystacks while wearing flip flops and a tank top.  Humph.

Ok, I'll quit whining now.  The wool can wait a few more weeks.  In the meantime, I will wear my newly thrifted flower pin:

(I love how it goes with everything.)  And, get back to work.  I have orders to pack today, cleaning to do tonight for something interesting happening early tomorrow (more details soon.)   And, I apologize for delaying the post-craft-show shop update!  It's currently slated for Tuesday, October 16th.   I am participating in a neighborhood art and craft event, and I had to make sure I have enough goods for a decent showing!  If you are a Norfolk -Virginia local, come see me at the Colonial Place/Riverview Front porch Art Walk.  For more info click here.    This show is particularly appealing, as you set up on your own front porch and the people come to you.  Nice, eh?   I can't believe I have lived here for 6 years and never participated before.  It should be fun, and the weather is supposed to cool off a bit by then.  I have my fingers crossed, because I really want enough nip in the air to warrant making hot cider and ginger tea bread.  Pretty please!?

Flat tires and a tour of the Norfolk Industrial Park

Drop the beat

I can't tell you the song he was listening to because I don't actually know the name of it...and if you knew the lyrics, you would deem me an unfit mother.  Lets just say that daddy is to blame for that one.  When Max and I listed to records, it's Donovan, Mamas and the Papas, The Stones and other harmless, classic rock.   And he likes all of that pretty well, but he doesn't get quite as enthusiastic as when he's jamming to daddy's music.  Hmph.

So Max pretty much rocked Bay Days this year.  It's this big festival- type thing in Downtown Hampton.  Nothing worth writing home about, but Mike is forced to sit there all weekend and man a t-shirt booth for the screen printing company he works  for, so we usually go up to visit him, snag some cotton candy, do some carnie rides.

That's pretty much all I did last weekend, since my "little under the weather" on Friday turned into a sub tropical mucus fest by Saturday.  Not fun.  I even lost my voice for a while too, much to the boy's general amusement.  Missing out on much needed crafting this weekend has made my schedule pretty hectic for this week, but I'm optimistic.  I'm feeling much better today and progress is being made.  I should have some actual CRAFTY photos to share later this week!  I've been all family and miniatures these days!  Oh, and I want to thank everyone for chiming in on the bad-movie post, I also adore all the movies you all brought up....we are all peas in a pod here in blogland!  I didn't get to watch Troop Beverly Hills, since our old copy was VHS and we don't even have a VCR anymore.  I put it in my netflix cue, though.  For when the next cold bug bites. 

It's just after midnight here, and Monday is technically over Woo hoo, we made it!  Happy Tuesday, y'all.   

So I woke up a little under the weather this morning....

...and all I want to do is curl up with a plate of leftover lasagna from last night, and watch this movie.  I must have watched Troop Beverly Hills when I was home sick from school as a kid, because it's really strange how it's the first thing I think of when I I'm coming down with a cold.  If you've never seen it, it's just your typical B movie from the late 80's.   Very silly and pretty pointless, really.  Good, clean fun.  I have a real love/hate thing for Shelly Long.  She annoys he crap put of me, but darn it, I just can't stop watching.  I loved her in Irreconcilable Differences, another classic comfort movie.

I'm actually not a big Drew Barrymore fan, though.  Sorry.  I know most people really love her.  I think she peaked early.  Did you ever see Home Fries?  *shudder*.  And I actually love bad movies, I always have.  But just as there is a formula for what a makes a movie great, there is also criteria for bad movies too.  There is awesomely-bad, and just bad-bad.  And not much room in between.  For example:

  VS .

Now, these are both terrible movies.  No arguing there.  Boring plots, no suspense, bad framing, poor continuity, trite duologue, mediocre acting....and so on.  But there IS a big difference.  I actually totally love Dirty Dancing 2, and it's one f my favorite comfort-bad movies.  My sister and I watch it every now and then, and are always amused by the hilarious voice overs, the mismatched actors and just general goofiness of the movie. It goes beyond stupid and into a new realm of horribleness.  A place that is actually really funny and totally engrossing. The other one, Just My Luck, doesn't have that same power.  It never pushes past the annoying phase and into "strangely endearing."  It's so bad, that you can't even make fun of it.  I guess it's hard to describe how it works, you just have to see for yourself.  I know some of you guys out there know what I'm talking about!  And I want to hear what your favorite "guilty pleasure"-crap movies are!  I have lots...and I'll share more with you later.  Right now, I have a date with a nuked plate of lasagna.

Have a great weekend, guys!

 

Our Nations Capitol

This has been an eventful month for me, lots of fun little get-aways (not a lot of actual WORK getting done, but that's another post altogether.) I spent the better part of this week in Washington D.C. having a grand old time with my little brother and sister, and my Dad (thank you for letting us tag along on your business trip!) It felt a bit strange not having Mike and Max with me, and not quite as fun and exciting as I hoped it would feel. Dang, I'm actually attached to my nuclear family, ugh how annoying. I did make the best of it though, I love public transportation, and riding the metro and buses was so fun. I also LOVE taking cabs, but it is a luxury rarely afforded. I kept thinking how much Max would have liked the metro.....the underground trains would have freaked him out. I don't think he's ever seen them before.

Hey, wait a second.....is that, no...is that a Paper Source?!?! No way! Max, who? Time for shopping! Oh this store was SO cool, even better than online. All the different cards lined the walls in every color, and the quality was unreal. The prices were steep, but I treated myself to some scallopy pink cards with vellum envelopes, one of those new Italian glue sticks that are all the rage and bone folder. Oh, and a stamp too. Fun stuff. And then.....

Mmmm, Lush.  Also expensive, BUT they were having a buy two get one free sale so I splurged on bath bombs.  There's are the best around, in case you didn't know.

  Dean and Deluca is one of my favorite places to visit in DC. And I don't really know why, I rarely ever buy anything. I guess it's just a sensory-thing. I don't NEED a $8 pear, I just want to look at it. Right about now is where the camera battery died, so I have no pics of all the other amazing places: Anthropology, Annie Cream Cheese, and so on. We really did have fun. And we had dinner at Buca Di Beppo, and that is ALWAYS just delicious. The Porchette Rustica was to die for. I can't wait to try and reproduce it myself. (and see Krissy, it was hazelnuts....not walnuts. I told you so.)

 

I'm sort of starting to feel bad about all the eating and the shopping pictures. Is it really ridiculous that I didn't go to, like, the monuments and museums and stuff? Because, I have BEEN to those before, in the past, and they're fun and all. It's just that this was a very short trip. I had to prioritize my time if I was going to do all of that shopping....and...eating. And if you are really into monuments and historical places, then wow...DC is the place to go 'caus they are, like EVERWHERE. You will find them even when you aren't looking for them....like this one I stumbled on after I got an iced chai from Starbucks.

   

I can't remember what is was called.  Some ancient  stone house, really old.  Cute garden in the back.  Crappy gift shop, though.  : )

Amazing Old Movie Alert!

My sister and I watched this a few days ago and it was just so, so wonderful!  Highly recommended.  Sweet and funny and sad...everything a an old fashioned movie should be.  It was also amusing to see a young Angela Lansbury play a very different roll than she is usually cast in (think low-cut, sequined party dresses.)   She is one of those peculiar people that always looks exactly the same to me, no mater what decade it is, which could be a compliment or an insult depending on which way you look at it.  She's either aged really well or, has always looked kinda old.  My favorite movie of hers will always be Bedknobs and Broomsticks.  LOVE that movie.  I can't get Max to watch it yet, though.  He loses interest right around the second verse of Portabello Road. 

So, please watch this movie, The World of Henry Orient.  If you have Netflix, you can watch it for free, instantly on your computer!  (That's what we did!)

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

Jiffy Mix

I love it when things are fast and easy, yet still satisfying.  Like Jiffy Cornbread mix.  And these curtains.  I made them a few weeks ago.  I did a rolled hem all the way around (workin' the serger, baby!) and then slipped a tension rod in a pocket.  All done in less than 15 minutes.  I'm a big fan of the tension rod for several reasons.  For one thing, our house is like 100 years old, and drilling into the walls to mount hardware of any kind is a risky move with old plaster.  You better do it right the first time, and even if you DO...it will probably chip, crack start the paint peeling and God knows what else.  It's murder for people who frequently change their mind about window treatments (like me.)  Tensions rods are so easy, movable and also cheap.   I realize they don't work in every situation, but for these light, half curtains I think they are perfect.   And I love polka dots. 

Oh!  And Look What I Got!!!

It's my first Blythe!  Courtesy of the awesome Jeannine, a local blogger I got to meet in person, which was just so fun!  Her Blythe skills are something to aspire too, as you can see in her flickr pictures.  She's also just a completely sweet person and was so nice to give me tons of resources for customizing and making clothing.  She saved me lots of on line searching, and that is a very good thing!  I'm naming this doll Seraphina.  The name does a have a hidden, and somewhat obscure meaning.  Nothing to do with the Patron Saint Seraphina, whose story is terribly depressing, even for a saint.  It was a busy weekend though, and I didn't get to work on her much yet.  Just a hair wash and a small trim.  Oh, and I started on her back to school outfit, but all I finished so far are the  stockings.

 

I found the boots in a big bag of old doll shoes I bought at the thrift store for 99 cents.  It took me a while to match up all the pairs, and toss the ones that didn't fit.  In the end, I wound up with about 12 pairs of shoes,  some random mini coat hangers, 2 handbags and 3 hair clips.  I think that's pretty fair for under a buck.

After severely neglecting the blog last week, I'm now off to the beach for a couple of days.  Sorry about that.  But I'll be taking the camera,  video camera  and these two character with me:

So who knows what sort of interesting stories I may come back with.

Happy Monday All! 

Names

When I was starting up my blog last year, the part I dreaded most was naming it.  The same with my online shops, too.   And even with my son, (the nurse finally came back for the third time and demanded, "One of you has to name this baby, now.")   Nothing like a little procrastination.   I guess I just figured, when the time was right, the perfect name would just materialize and I would know, and it would be perfect, and magical and the planets would align, etc.  I've never found that to be the case, so I just had to wing it.  I love old, southern sayings...and the "how is every little thing?" line is, I think, from Gone with the Wind.  And it does seem to fit here.  I really do love, and unwittingly surround myself, with tiny things.  Lots of tiny things.  Every little thing. 

a little snack

a little change

minnows are little (and so is my sister)

corsican mint, my favorite little plant (and can you spot the little snail?)

breakfast, a little late.....

....with little waffles (my miniature waffle maker is one of my favorite possessions.) 

a little loud

a little quiet

a little good-bye.