serendipity

fearless...?

"Why not go out on a limb?  Isn't that where the fruit is?" --  Frank Scully
 

I took a break from the studio for a little mother and daugther time.  Sweet Pea and I went to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. A sweet film set in a gorgeous locale.  Much of the film revolves around the idea of embracing change, accepting it as a bonus rather than a negative.  How do you embrace change?  Do you accept it or let it run right over you?

I used to be fearless. I would buy a plane ticket to Europe that morning and be gone that evening, not to return for 7 months.  I jumped head first into business, walking the streets of Manhattan selling my designs door-to-door.  I cold called galleries.  I was fierce, fearless and loved the rush that came from the unknown.  I embraced change.

Where did that woman go?! 

I'm older these days, but not necessarily wiser. Yes, caution is a good thing, but it can strangle one.  I am set to go on vacation in a bit and I'm having the hardest time planning my itinerary.  I mean seriously, does a vacation really need this much planning?  I'm driving so I may have the freedom to wander at will, but I can't go without having rooms secured.  My younger self slept in empty train cars if need be.  

A few years back a friend sold her house and put everything she owned into storage.  She was rolling the dice to join the Peace Corps.  At 50+ years old she took off on the adventure of a life time.  These days she lives in Thailand teaching elementary school.  I admire her courage.  She kept thinking she was crazy, but once she was accepted and stationed, everything clicked into place for her.  In a sense, she's home as her heart is where it needs to be.

I'm not saying I'm unhappy, but yes, I'm a bit restless.  As my daughter matures and settles into her own life, I finally have time to focus on myself.  Let me tell you, it's a very scary prospect indeed.  Do I return to remnants of my younger self or is there a new role for me to play?

The pic is of my friend Kate and me in our last year of high school.  I look at thw face of my younger self and see the mischief.  Maybe a vacation will help me dig through the layers and find my courage to once again jump off the high dive and embrace change.  

Maybe.

Mollie Makes, Panty Flasher Cuteness

 

"You haven't lost your smile at all, it's right under your nose.  

You just forgot it was there."  --  Anonymous

This short video is sure to bring a smile.  Love the little gals flashing their panties.  From the catchy tune to the gorgeous craft studio, this video hits all the marks for why I love to make for the sake of making.  Thumbs up to Mollie Makes magazine, a brand new lifestyle and craft magazine out of the UK.    

becoming jane

 
 "The enthusiasm of a woman's love is even beyond the biographer's."  --  Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

I am becoming slightly obsessed with Jane.  Mansfield Park is the first book up in the book club I've started with Good Reads.  It's proven a great antidote to the tedium as I recover from pneumonia. 

For Christmas, my daughter and I received a membership to Netflix.  What heaven!  I place a movie title on my list and it arrives by post a couple of days later.  I've been indulging in period films and simply fell in love with Becoming Jane which is a fictional biography of Jane Austen's life.  I say fictional as liberties were taken, but still the movie is charming and rooted in historical fact. It is filled with the strong, independent female characters I expected and the cinematography is lush.  Besides, anything with Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy or Maggie Smith has my vote.

  

And the costumes!  The costumes are gorgeous.  I'll take one of those hats and that dress, oh yes, and the gorgeous cape please.  

Other films recently watched are Miss Potter and Atonement.  Both are beautifully acted and again, the cinematography is lush.  Miss Potter has my daughter planning a backpacking trip across the Lake District for our next visit to England.

couple of bugs

"Green little vaulter in the sunny grass," -- Leigh Hunt

I felt like such the naughty voyeur as I watched this couple in the act of coupling.  They could have cared less given their focus and concentration.  Afterward the male hopped away with a merry chirp while the female looked nonplussed.  Interested in more bug reproduction?  Take a look at a series of short films by Isabella Rossellini on The Sundance Channel. They're hilarious and the costumes are fantastic.    

The concept is interesting.  I don't mean bugs doing the nasty, but the making of short films meant to be viewed on one's cellphone.  It's a new genre with much creative potential.   I think of my claymation experiments back in high school.  Remember the Saturday Night Live character Mr. Bill?  He was my inspiration.  These days digital cameras with video capability make such experiments so much easier to complete.  I've been working on a short film, but for turning into a flip book with each still being a separate page in the book.  Maybe I should expand my thinking to include cellphone downloads.  And then again, maybe I should stick with what I know best and get back to my knitting.  Oh so many ideas and too little time to experiment.  Sigh.