Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Recipe for a Halloween Night
1. Light the jack-o-lanterns outside.
2. Pick up pizza and pumpkin ice cream.
3. Watch Evil Dead and eat said pizza.
4. Take a break from the evil and undead to watch a Halloween episode of Pushing Daisies
5. Resume Evil Dead
6. Fall asleep with dog at feet on futon, only to be woken up periodically by possessed, mangled teenagers (on the tv).
7. Pumpkin ice cream!
8. Watch Critters, which is more hilarious than scary with 80s rock star-style shape-shifting aliens and a tiny critter alien saying, "Fuck!" (in alien speak, of course).
Next year, I plan to throw a sweet little Halloween party. It is my favorite holiday, after all. Being a Wednesday this year was highly non-conducive for a 9-to-5er with 9-to-5er friends. I hope you all had fun and safe Halloweens! Now to avoid Christmas until at least November 15!Labels: holidays
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Trick or Treat
Trick or Treat, a pencil drawing for Illustration Friday.
I may eventually render it in color, but I wanted to post it in time for Halloween. I ended up doing two illustrations this week because Halloween is just that fun. Still have got to sew my red riding hood cape tonight...I keep putting it off because setting up the sewing machine is the hardest hump to get over.Labels: artsy girl, illustration friday
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Pumpkin Friends
We finally went to the pumpkin patch this weekend, to pick out some new friends to carve out. This is us trying to look like we're at a country pumpkin patch instead of in the middle of Los Angeles.
These are the little friends we carved -- of course mine is complete with eyelashes and skeleton-embellished bows.
And Ryan's is a fine work of engineering, including nail hinged ears:
I roasted a cup of the pumpkin seeds we managed to pluck out of the pumpkin guts, and used this amazing Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Seeds recipe from Martha (of course).
While all this is happening, we're also watching a ton of cheesy scary movies like Halloween: Resurrection, Halloween: H20, and Joy Ride. I'll be sewing my red riding hood cape and wolf ears for Ryan tonight, along with finishing up a Top Secret birthday present for a friend and watching Don't Look Now and Nightmare Before Christmas! Hope you're all having a fun Halloween weekend! I would love to hear all about it!
P.S.
And of course I have to pull out one of my favorite paintings to date, Little Red Riding Hood Loves UFO Books, for this week's Illustration Friday prompt: Trick or Treat.Labels: holidays, illustration friday
Friday, October 26, 2007
Halloweekend.
It's here it's here it's here! Halloween weekend! I'm finally going to get to sewing my red riding hood cape & carving some pumpkins & pumpkin cupcake baking (photo from marthastewart.com):
& reading some spooky stories (Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon) & watching more creepy films (i.e. The Nightmare Before Christmas, MonsterFest on AMC and Don't Look Now)! Hooray hooray hooray!
P.S. I spied new issues of Domino & Blueprint on the newsstands, and I'm actually getting a bit peeky & excited about decorating for the holidays now. Even though I'm not much one for the commercialism and awkwardness of making a Christmas list (has anyone read that passage in Bridget Jones's Diary about that? I'll dig out my copy and quote it at the beginning of the season...), I have been LOVING the handmade revolution's take on it. Refashioning TOO MANY WOOL SWEATERS into stockings! Scrap cloth rosette garlands! And of course, my tiny Christmas tree to be sought and all the lovely presents to be bought and wrapped for underneath. I know I'm hoping right over Thanksgiving, but we'll be heading to Denver for that so I have nothing to prepare here!Labels: holidays
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Autumn Home & Wardrobe Remixing
I'm very into wardrobe remixing right now; pairing my older pieces with my new pieces in unusual ways. The last picture features my outfit today, pairing the green shirt I got from Anthropologie recently with the jersey dress I bought a few years ago for a Vagina Monologues costume (but has since been too beachy halter to wear since). The bee charm necklace that I love is from etsy seller Itsyourlife.
P.S. I added a new story, entitled There are no lonely women in Los Angeles to Anthologie (which, btw, is looking for contributors).Labels: domestic goddess, fashion love, photolog
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
6 Good Things (on the web)
A spiderweb of things that have been inspiring me & influencing my to-do list:
1. 52 Projects: A Not-To-Do List
2. Signing up and feeling fully dedicated to National Novel Writing Month.
3. Martha's lacy candles
4. pulling favorite but worn tees out of the donation pile to make a doggy jacket
5. StyleBubble & darling Etsy dresses to inspire some wardrobe refashioning
6. FreePeople's Dark Fairy Swap
For some site business-y things: I've updated the About page (in case you've been wondering), and I've relinked Anthologie -- with an updated story + prompt! A lot of soul-searching (how terribly cliche) has brought me home to the house of writing. I'll be updating Anthologie pretty regularly for the rest of the month, and then may take a break from that project to dive into NaNoWriMo as mentioned above. This year I'm truly committed to it; and I'm taking these Anthologie practice prompts and a pile of writing books to start mapping out a practice.
I'll be/I am reading:
1. Writing Down The Bones, Natalie Goldman
2. Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury
3. Reading Like A Writer, Francine Prose
4. On Writing, Stephen King
Do you have any good writing or creativity-inspiring books to recommend?Labels: good things, lists, site update
Illustration Friday: Grow
Growing Girl, or How Thumbelina Got Her StartLabels: illustration friday
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Surreal World
{Photo from the L.A. Times}
These past few days have been surreal in southern California; starting with spending Sunday at Disneyland, with 60 mph winds. The cube-trimmed trees near It's A Small World wobbled like Jell-o monsters in the wind. My allergies went wild, my face pretty much swelled closed by the end of the night -- if only I could have documented all of this for you. If only I didn't accidentally drop Ryan's camera at the beginning of our trip!
Without pictures, it seems hard to really illustrate the surreal world happening around here. It got me thinking about the impact of words, of how this blog used to be a journal that used to illustrate this life in words. Maybe, for my purposes, there needs to be a revival of those words. Of my own words, not for work, not for applications, not for manuscripts, but for practice. So let's just imagine.
The wildfires are all over the media, and rightly so since 500,000 people have been affected by this state of emergency -- and what's more surreal is the statistics that state 0% containment. And yet, here I am, going to work daily in an air-conditioned office in Santa Monica, with the skies only betraying the illusion of perfect summer days by the diaphanous veil over the sun. It could pass as a particularly smoggy day in LA. The evenings are August-warm, but the span of night sky are lit up in the distance with an orange glow.
And the reality is that there are fires near my parents' house, near my many friends in San Diego, and even 12 miles from work and home -- while in my own little pod of metro LA, it's business as usual. Oh, but with lighter traffic.Labels: losangeles
Friday, October 19, 2007
All the immediate unknowns are better than this tired and lonely fate.
Just a peek into my sketchbook; no big planned projects for these, just playing around with drawing skills. Differing monitor calibrations are driving me crazy -- on the computer I use for most scanning and digital art things, the monitor is apparently more contrast-y than the one on my laptop and the one at work. So when I scan it, the sketches look great, but on another computer I realize I can see through the paper to the drawings on the next page. That's what the ghosts are, if you feel like you're seeing things. I'll work on getting that adjusted, if you'll stick with me.Labels: artsy girl
Thursday, October 18, 2007
There's blood in my mouth cause I've been biting my tongue all week.
I didn't get a chance to mention that a few nights ago I saw this foxy lady and her fellow foxy men play live in Santa Monica. Can I just tell you how much I love Jenny Lewis and want to be her when I grow up? One of the most surreal things about LA is that the famous are down at your neighborhood grocery store or Target, and Jenny Lewis is no different in that she still lives in her rent-controlled one bedroom apartment in Silverlake. I mean, I'd totally spend all my money on hoards of fancy clothes than on rent, too.
All the superficial aside, Rilo Kiley was pretty amazing too. I've felt pretty disconnected with music the past few years, and I don't know if part of it is growing up or that I just haven't had time to connect with all the new young things. Growing up, music for me (and I suspect a lot of other people) was a way of connecting with the world and existing vicariously in scenes that were outside the limits of my southern California suburban upbringing. A lyric inspired novels, literally.
And now, when most of my favorite bands and musicians have faded into the backdrop that is one's deep expansive life, Rilo Kiley's music is still vivid and relevant. Songs that have been soundtracks to relationships and breakups still translate to new situations and new relationships, like an old friend who listens to your 2 am babble about it all. At first I wasn't that fond of Under the Blacklight, but I've actually grown to like it quite a bit for so specifically targeting that Los Angeles underbelly feel.
I didn't intend this to be such a music nostalgia heavy post -- I just wanted to say that I totally love that Jenny rocked glittery gold tights, and I want some. I love that tights are back in & hence everywhere and plentiful in style!Labels: fashion love, musicbox
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The Owl & The Pussycat
Just finished this painting tonight for Ryan's cube. I suspect a lot of friends will be getting paintings from me this year; I hope that's alright with them.
The weather has been so beautifully grey and fall appropriate lately; I've already brought out the thin sweaters. I can't wait to make huge pots of soups to last the week - soup is my favorite food, after all. Would love to make this Hot & Sour Cabbage soup, Chickpea Noodle soup, and my standby favorite, Tomato Rasam. On the topic of food, I'm also looking forward to making holiday treats like monster cupcakes and peppermint candy tarts.
Thanks for all the kind comments about the new site. I plan to put up the missing pages in the coming weeks!Labels: artsy girl
Monday, October 15, 2007
Illustration Friday: Extremes
Extreme Legs. Acrylic on paper.Labels: artsy girl, illustration friday
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Good Things: New site!
Hurray hurray, my new site is up and running, with much thanks to a very patient Ryan who made my design a reality. New content to come -- for now I need to make good on my promise of Mexican food at the end of this site-building tunnel for Ryan.
Let me know what you think of the new design!Labels: good things, site update
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Illustration Friday: Open.
Pulling this piece I painted a few months ago out for Illustration Friday. I'll Be Your Umbrella, acrylic on canvas. What needs to be open more than an umbrella?Labels: artsy girl, illustration friday
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Adore.
I'm enamored with John Galliano's Spring 2008 Ready-To-Wear show. Even though it was a presumptuous pain-in-the-derrier for the flocks at Paris Fashion Week, just look at how gorgeous and haunting and carnivale these clothes are! What a fantastic retro decadent seaside carnival-meets-Grey Gardens collection. The make-up with the rhinestone studded lips of emaciated models is so ghastly October and flirty spring at the same time. Now these are a dream to build a wish on.
 Labels: fashion love
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
The Little Things
I rely heavily on the advice of others; of friends, coworkers, family who have experienced this and that. And I find that the web is infused with raves about fabulous products and designs from all across the globe, which I love. But what about the little things? The little daily things? The I've-tried-that-and-I-wouldn't-recommend-it kinds of little things? It's just as valuable to share the I-lived-and-learned experiences of things that didn't work out as it is for the things that were a dream. For one, I would not recommend Yves Veggie Cuisine Chicken Skewers. Sad, because I do love my vegetarian options.
What are some things you've lived and learned and would not recommend?Labels: growing up, photolog
Sunday, October 07, 2007
The Darjeeling Limited
We saw The Darjeeling Limited tonight. After several attempts over the weekend and an overbooked preview, we finally took in this splendor of filmography. I would rank this my third favorite Wes Anderson film (though it should be noted I haven't seen Bottle Rocket - it's on the top of my Netflix queue), after The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore. Adrien Brody was a darling, refreshing addition to the Wes Anderson family. The most wonderful thing about Wes Anderson's work is that they remind me why I ever wanted to be a filmmaker. It's nice to see something that actively engages you every once in awhile, isn't it? I'd definitely recommend this for theater viewing, just so you can take in the gorgeously nuanced India portrayed.
My favorite part of going to the movies is the previews, and there were two before Darjeeling that struck my fancy: Be Kind Rewind (Michel Gondry's new film), and Juno (which has a fantastic cast running the gamut from Michael Cera to Jennifer Garner to Rainn Wilson). I love winter because the films in the theater start to be good again.Labels: films
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Changes
Don't be alarmed; many changes are afoot around here. Hope you're all having a lovely, restful weekend. We're bundled in and getting some fun work done. If that isn't an oxymoron, I don't know what is.
See you soon!Labels: photolog
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Brushing the summer dust out of my eyes.
Dreamy crocheted neckwarmer courtesy of Etsy seller JewelLace. Perfect summer-to-autumn transition wear.
I'm trying my hand with gouache again, after a rather lackluster experience in a Color Theory class a few summers ago. Acrylics are too cloying for coloring my sketchbook, and watercolors are rarely the effect I'm looking for. I love flat, opaque, dreamy and bold. This doll of a gal is dressed in Erin Fetherston's Fall & Winter 2007 collection. I didn't mean for her expression to be so sour, but I'm probably channeling my frustration with a sore throat/mean cold rearing its ugly head.
In other news, I'm actually moving along with several of my priority projects for October, which include:
- studying for the GREs
- redesigning this site
- read three books (at least)
- finish a short story
- finish two paintings
- decorate & bake for Halloween
- clean out closet, hem & mend
- sew red riding hood cape costume
- make skirts and napkinsLabels: artsy girl, fashion love, lists, sketchbook
Monday, October 01, 2007
Wardrobe Refashion Pledge.
I, Ann, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle pre-loved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftyness brings!
Signed, Ann. Labels: fashion love
|
