Author: Becky

Another way to read more books

As Timothy mentioned on his LiveJournal (and I do recommend clicking on that link not only to see endearing dog photos, but to see a shocking case of doll abuse in his banner, while he’s still using that banner), a reading group asked if we’d come up with some study questions for When You Don’t See Me.

That was hard–not so much developing questions, but trying to remember what the questions should be about. That novel came out in the fall of 2007, which means he, Jim, and I were brainstorming it in 2005, writing it in 2006–and frankly, a few other things have happened to us since then.

But we did come up with what we hope are good questions to provoke discussion, and he mailed them off. As for any news in my world, it’s lying right there in the above photo. Need a better look?

After quite a long time of going back and forth between whether or not I should have an electronic reader, and then which one I should get, and listening to sound arguments among other writers, librarians, booksellers, and readers, I went with the Nook from Barnes & Noble. I’m currently reading a new–to me–Canadian author who’s been highly recommended. Three great titles were already on my Nook when I bought it. I’ve purchased a classic that I’ve always wanted to read, and downloaded two free titles. I’ll never stop buying physical books, but this will ease a little strain on my bookshelves and after the initial investment, my book budget.

By the way, When You Don’t See Me is available from bn.com in eBook format, and so is A Coventry Wedding. Just in case those are two titles you haven’t purchased.

LJ Runway Monday: It’s a Party (PR 8:3)

Heidi: On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were asked to create an outfit using party store supplies.

Barbie: Whoa, hold up. I think this is the most fabric I’ve ever seen on your body, Heidi.

Summer: It doesn’t count when it’s see-through.

Heidi: Look who’s talking, Miss Yellow Fever. We decided to bring a little of the vintage to this week’s episode. I’m wearing Mattel’s Barbie Nighty Negligee, a matching gown and peignoir set that was in production from 1959 to 1964.

Barbie: My pink dotted Swiss babydoll nightie is from the same period but is probably a Mattel knockoff. No label.

Summer: My Mattel label is where it’s supposed to be on my 1964 Sweet Dreams smocked yellow bodice, but my little yellow panties are missing.

Heidi: For the sake of the censors, thank you for finding those white ones. In addition to creating a look from party store supplies, Becks was also asked to create a matching accessory. Here you can see her raw materials:

Barbie: I chose Barbie Basics 001, Model No. 10 to model whatever Becks makes of those materials.

Summer: I think you mean to say you chose Tabitha.

Barbie: [whispers] Have you noticed Tabitha’s ears make her look a little like an alien?

Summer: [whispers] Have you noticed someone forgot to bleach half of your hair?

Heidi: Have either of you noticed this is Runway Monday? You can see what Becks did with these raw materials below.

!–more Please click here for fashion.–>


Becks cut the ribbon into irregularly sized and shaped pieces and layered them over a cheesecloth skirt.


The bodice is also formed of layers of ribbon. The waist of the dress is cinched with the pink ribbon folded in a way to take advantage of its silver underside.


Using beads from the party supplies, Becks made an accessory to gather Tabitha’s hair into a thick braid.


She also used the beads to embellish the shoes from Mattel’s accessories wall.

Barbie: A million dollar look put together with an astounding three dollars.

Summer: And a little sweat, a lot of cutting, and a misfire or two with a hot glue gun.

Heidi: No hazard is too great for fashion. See you all next time on the runway!

Previous designs from this season:

PR 8:2–Larger Than Life
PR 8:1–And Sew It Begins

Button Sunday

I think the first time I became aware of Gustav Klimt’s art was when I saw a print of his well-known work “The Kiss” in my friend Amy’s apartment in the early 1990s. Last night, my blogging friend Shawn posted a photo of her favorite Klimt painting, “The Virgins” (also called “The Virgin” and “The Maiden”) on Facebook. I like it so much that I decided to find a button of it. Klimt’s colors and mosaics in his paintings fascinate me; shadowboxes and collages I made in the 1990s incorporated little elements of those.

I recently acquired a work by Austin artist Cynthia Fedor. It’s a 4×4-inch canvas (tiny! part of its appeal to me). Her work is sparer but does remind me a little of some of Klimt’s paintings, and I’m completely infatuated with her theme and how she’s expressed it here.

framed:

It’s keeping me good company in my office.

Hump Day Happy in honor of Marika’s birthday

Possibly the silliest purchase I’ve ever made on eBay arrived today. I blame David Puterbaugh and his rousing endorsement of Toy Story 3. While Jim was here, we watched the first two Toy Story movies on DVD, then Jim, Tim, Tom, and I saw the new one in the theater. And YES, David, I DID need the Kleenex I took with me at your suggestion, and I wasn’t the only one. One of the themes of the movie is what happens to toys when their children grow up.

For years, I’ve mourned the disappearance of my wooden push puppet lion. He was one of my favorite toys, and if our toys remember us, he knows I didn’t lose him, discard him, or give him away. I’m sure he was stolen, and I know who the probable culprit was. I’ve never been able to find another resembling his craftsmanship and appearance, and I’ll never settle for anything less.

Along with my lion, other toys vanished along the way. I probably don’t remember most of them, but I do remember my Dolls of the World.

Dolls of the World were sold for 99 cents each with the purchase of Arco gasoline. There were twelve in all, and my mother collected six of them for me. They weren’t really to play with; they were for display. Even at that, not a whole lot of skill and craft went into them. They were basic plastic dolls–the kind often used for crafting–with hair too fine to brush, only movable at the arms and neck, and their clothes were cheaply made and not removable. Still, I liked the six I had. I learned about the countries they were from and took good care of them. Once they even helped me when I started in a new school. I took them for show and tell, and they were such a hit that my teacher took me to all the other classes in my grade so I could share them, a bizarre experience for a shy girl who normally did everything she could to avoid attention.

I know the dolls were on my bookshelves when I went away to college, but I suppose at some point, I was persuaded to let them go. After seeing Toy Story, I dreamed about them, which caused me to look them up online and on eBay. Not all of the dolls I found look like the ones I had, so maybe there were different versions for different years or regions. But I found England’s and Spain’s dolls that were identical to mine, and they were practically free, so I bought them.

In honor of Marika’s birthday, and the child who remains within us no matter how many birthdays we have, I decided to resurrect Hump Day Happy for this week. (Marika is the only one who ever expressed regret that it vanished as surely as my push puppet lion.) Anyone who wants to give me a page number between 1 and 611, and another number between 1 and 25, can get an item from the happiness book to celebrate Marika’s special day with her. (I don’t advise picking 8/11, because I think Marika’s chosen it a couple of times, and it never changes.) Meanwhile, Marika, let’s pretend that whatever number you pick, it includes dancing naked men.

Unleaving

I’ve mentioned one of my favorite poems, and certainly one of my favorite seasons, on my LJ before. You may recall a photo I shot when I was on vacation earlier this summer:

I kept those leaves, though they’re slowly losing the colors that made them so striking to me. I thought of them immediately for the most recent Work of Art challenge, when we were asked to [c]reate a work of art inspired by nature. Incorporate one or more found natural objects (leaves, rocks, twigs, dirt, etc.).

Here’s that poem I love, written by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Spring and Fall: To a young child

Margaret, are you grieving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leaves, like the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! as the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you will weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sorrow’s springs are the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It is the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.

I hope my art piece, titled “Unleaving” after the word coined by Hopkins, conveys some of the beauty, humanity, and mortality of his poem and my favorite season, autumn.

(click here to see a larger version on a black background)

You can see other submissions for this challenge on the Work of Art blog.

LJ Runway Monday: Larger Than Life (PR 8:2)

Heidi: On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were asked to create a look that defines the Marie Claire woman. The winning look would be featured on a billboard in Times Square.

Summer: To present Becks an additional challenge, we gave her some extra time but also told her she had to create looks for Heidi, Barbie, and me to wear this week.

Barbie: And we think the designs she created match our styles to perfection. Summer looks like the girl next door, I look chic, and Heidi looks like–

Heidi: [glare] –the sexy woman I am.

Barbie: Of course that’s what I was going to say.

Summer: For her model’s look this week, Becks chose fabrics of lace and sheer organza.

Barbie: And I chose the fabulous Dallas to be her model.

Heidi: Ready to see what she created?

Then click here, please.