Something New and Sparkly - When Shapes Collide . . .

Top: Target
Skirt: Alloy
Shoes: Barefeet Shoes
Bag: Bisou Bisou, J. C. Penney's
Scarf: A. C. Moore
Necklace: The Tote Trove

. . . it's a beautiful thing.  Unlike when worlds collide, as George so emphatically pointed out in that fateful "Seinfeld" episode.  I think this is my new favorite necklace, in part because of the sky blue ribbons.  Well, at least until the next one I make.  Hear that, Smurfy?  Your days in the limelight are numbered.

Something New and Sparkly - It's Raining Rhinestones

Tee: Kohl's
Tank: Express
Skirt: Candie's, Kohl's
Shoes: Candie's, Kohl's
Bag: J. C. Penney's
Headband: J. C. Penney's
Green bracelet: Cloud Nine, Ocean City boardwalk
Pastel bracelet: Some unidentified shop in Hawaii
Necklace: The Tote Trove

I've always thought that the cuteness of umbrellas is meant to mask the wretchedness of rain.  And what could be cuter than brightly-colored hearts and a jaunty blue bow?  I like to think that they lend this necklace's raindrops all the glamour of a magic elixir. 

On a more technical note, I'm getting into using chains instead of beaded wire or ribbon to anchor my felt creations.  I'm drawn to their clean, metallic lines and the way that they let the felt take center stage.  In this necklace, the added sparkle isn't bad either.  How's that for a silver lining?  

The Vow

I was excited about seeing The Vow.  If there's a sappy romance serenaded by a Taylor Swift single out there, then I'm bound to turn up.

So, it was inevitable that I'd be at least a little disappointed.

The Vow is about newlyweds Paige (Rachel McAdams) and Leo (Channing Tatum).  She's a sculptor, he owns a recording studio, and the city of Chicago is their bohemian love nest.  But all of that changes when a car accident erases Paige's memory.  Reluctant to take up with a man she sees as a stranger, Paige forsakes Leo to lean on the parents that she she shut out before her marriage.  They're rich and respectable, everything that Leo isn't, and her time with them causes her to regress into the country club card-carrying law student she used to be.  This isn't new territory for McAdams.  The themes of wealth vs. poverty, convention vs. art, and safety vs. adventure run through other romances in which she has starred, such as The Time Traveler's Wife, The Notebook, and even, to an extent, Wedding Crashers.  As in these other movies, her character's decision about who she wants to be is inextricably intertwined with the man she ultimately chooses.  Yet while these elements make for a powerful combination in a classic like The Notebook, they fall a little flat in The Vow. 

For me, this was partly because Paige is so unlikeable.  I know it's not her fault; she's not in her right mind and can't help but parade around like some bitchy debutante while her heartbroken husband bends over backwards to help her.  Nevertheless, it's difficult to warm to Paige or even pull for her to regain her memory.   (Maybe this is a good place to say that Channing Tatum is, unbelievably, the best part of this movie.  Even if it is, as the bf so shrewdly pointed out to me in the theater, hard to take him seriously.)   Moreover, the movie's central conflict is between Paige and her parents instead of between Paige and her husband.  The secret of their estrangement overshadows the love story, diminishing its power and importance.  Finally, even the flashbacks showing Paige and Leo at their best hint that Leo was always a little more invested in the relationship than Paige.  This, compounded by the fact that the couple hadn't been together long at the time of the accident, made me wonder if maybe they weren't meant to be after all.

I began this cinematic journey as a starry-eyed optimist and ended up as a cold-hearted cynic.  Which is not something I'm proud of.  I'd signed up for the gooeyness, after all, and had been prepared to get all teary-eyed over a box-office success most were sure to criticize.  Little did I know I'd become one of the haters.  Still, The Vow made me think (a little) and made me (moderately) angry, so I guess it couldn't have been all that bad.     

Etsy Favorites - Fishing for Fun . . .

 Ocean Scene Belt Buckle, Polish Blonde Designs

 Tropical Fish Napkin Rings, Rose Artworks

 Caribbean Dreaming Print, Circles Round the Sun

 Fish Bowl Laser Cut Ring Set, Lickety Cut

Under the Sea Party Centerpiece, Paper Party Parade

. . . is a lot more fun than fishing for fish.  There's no filleting required, and you hook a colorful keepsake rather than a creepy carcass.  With summer (optimistically) on the horizon and the beach never far (from me), the finned ones are circling my imagination.  So, I was delighted to catch this crop of cuties in the Etsy ocean.  If you're angling to make a splash with your home or ensemble, then dive into these shops for a school of seaworthy selections!         

Something New and Sparkly - I Rock a Lot of Polka Dots

Top: Bisou Bisou, J. C. Peneny's
Skirt: Target
Shoes: Alloy
Bag: Candie's, Kohl's
Ring: J. C. Penney's
Bracelet: Kohl's
Necklace: The Tote Trove

If you're a "New Girl" fan (and the ratings report that many of you are), then you may have recognized that line from a recent episode in which Nick's humorless, hardass lawyer girlfriend attacks Jess (Zooey Deschanel) for being girly and sensitive and, yes, all-around adorkable.  (Unthinkable, I know.)  The incident leads to Jess and Cece dishing about the mean, sneaky ways girls tear each other down.  Jess shares that a girl once snidely told her, "You rock a lot of polka dots," eliciting a "Diabolical!" from CeCe.  As someone who wears more than her fair share of polka dots (not to mention scads of what many would deem to be other suspect stuff), I could relate. 

Take this ensemble.  We've got pinky polka dots topped off by a felt necklace that kind of looks like a foot.  At least that's what the bf said when he saw it in its early state. 

I meant for the necklace to be worn horizontally, but the vertical, foot-like position began to grow on me, not unlike a multi-colored fungus.

Jack Handey Quote of the Week

"When I found the skull in the woods, the first thing I did was call the police.  But then I got curious about it.  I picked it up, and started wondering who this person was, and why he had deer horns."

Something New and Sparkly - I'm (still) Making Jewelry Now!

Cardigan: Delia's
Tank: Target
Skirt: Kohl's
Shoes: Betseyville, Macy's
Belt: Tournier Everything's $10 Store
Bag: Bisou Bisou, J. C. Penney's
Necklace: The Tote Trove

Top: Kohl's
Skirt: Kohl's
Shoes: Journeys
Bag: The Tote Trove
Necklace: The Tote Trove

I've recently gotten hooked on IFC's "Portlandia," an offbeat sketch comedy starring "Saturday Night Live's" Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney rock band fame (something I admittedly didn't know before a gander on Google).  Last Friday's episode featured a segment about the handmade jewelry business craze.  It kicks off with Armisen's character admiring Brownstein's character's necklace.  She replies that her sister made it and goes on to say that she quit her job to launch a handmade jewelry business because, "you know, after she had her kids, she kind of didn't want to go back to having a job."  Armisen plays the skeptic (enter any annoying relative-slash-acquaintance who interrogates you about questionable life choices at a wedding or dinner party), asking things like, "Didn't she go to massage school?"  But But Brownstein remains unperturbed, breezily listing the virtues of her sister's new venture - in song: 

"She's making jewelry now!/She's got her own web site!/She crafts each piece by hand!/On her dining room table at night!/She's making jewelry now!/She's got her life on track!/We don't have to worry now!/She's got that arty spirit back!"
A superimposed Brownstein bops around music-video style as the said sister serenely fiddles with jewelry tools and lounges in the ethereally-curtained tent that houses her display.  Armisen cuts through the frivolity by asking how much the sister charges per necklace.  Once he learns that it's between $80 and $200, he sheds his snark, excitedly confessing that he too has some workspace at home to devote to his own jewelry enterprise.  Fast forward to the the final scene, in which Armisen's reading an email from an irate customer who's been waiting six weeks for two necklaces.  "What time does the post office close?" Armisen whines, then mutters that maybe he should apply to grad school (you know, that other recourse of the wayward) instead.   

Intrigued?  Charmed?  Insulted?  Whatever your stance, you can check it all out on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJOkOlO_N_8

So, how did this Etsy seller react to such a blatant dig on the online jewelry shop trend?  Why, with hilarity - and a few hiccups - of course.  There are plenty of people out there who bill hatching a craft business as being a rainbow-wrapped panacea for all that ails you.  But I'm not one of them.  Although I love making jewelry, I know it'll never support me (or even my shoe habit).  That's why I could laugh along as "Portlandia" poked fun at the get-rich-quick fantasy of the online trinket business and artists' disillusionment upon being confronted by the sometimes unforgiving world of customer service.  Although to be fair, it's Armisen, not the customer, who is at fault for the delayed jewelry shipment, revealing yet another facet of the satire, namely that many artistic entrepreneurs see only the perks of running a business and none of the responsibilities.

Now that the cynicism is out of the way we can skip back to jewelry-making's more fanciful side.

This is my lovebirds necklace (so named not because its colorful critters accurately resemble those particular parrots, but because they flank a flashy pink heart).  Like most of the pieces I've recently posted, it's not for sale, destined instead for the hatbox caching my personal prizes.  I couldn't decide which outfit showed the birds off to their best advantage, so I posted them both.