Made It Myself Monday: A Bonafide Romantic.

This post is a Beautiful Film Week Post.

It is about a mom, a boy, an issue, a creative solution and and a really happy ending.

Okay, cartoons on commercial tv aimed at kids over 7. Have you seen this stuff? There is a ton of real Crap out there. I'm sorry, I am a true animation fanatic and I love unconditionally some pretty marginal stuff, but acting Truly Idiotic and Gross is not as funny as they seem to think. My boy was sucked right in. He was talking like these truly appallingly stupid characters, and he thought it was funny. I thought it was pathetic, obnoxious and quite beyond annoying. I nagged... but I wasn't getting through. His Dad nagged...Not registering even a slow down in the "duh" levels at the house.
Seriously- This is why we don't have "TV". (By TV, I mean cable or any way to receive "broadcasting"... The television machine does reside at our house and we watch tons of movies. My son became infected just by viewing at other people's houses. That is mighty Potent Lameness. )

But Back to the Point: I decided that Jake really needed to be exposed to smart humor. Stat. Cleverness. Cary Grant. Audrey Hepburn. Charade. Suave, wisecracking, and well dressed, our hero and heroine face murder at every turn ... with minimal mushy stuff. We hit paydirt. Jake loved it. The next time we were looking for a dvd rental he asked "Are there any movies like Charade but maybe with a robbery or something and chases?"

Sure, why not To Catch a Thief?

We started watching all kinds of old movies together. His dad is not into it and I was very glad for the company. The "duh factor" was ebbing. For my birthday I got three Audrey Hepburn movies, one of which is my beautiful film # 1: Roman Holiday.




I am just going to assume you have seen it. So fantastic. The intrigue, the adventure, the double cross and a princess playing hookey. Jacob was really into it. When it finally comes to the end of the movie, he watched the scene with Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert at the formal press reception with his knees up under his chin. He giggled when she got the pictures from Eddie Albert and then when everyone is gone except for Gregory Peck, I noticed it seemed like he was holding his breath a little and as Gregory Peck walks slowly out of the empty hall, he cried out:

"Wait! Isn't she going to come out? That Can't be the end! How is he going to get back to her? It's not Over, Is It?"

That's my boy.

Best ending to a movie ever.

WIP: Nesting

I am committed to craft for the home more this year. We have resources but things are getting shabby. Not chic either.. Just Shabby. We are in need of a spruce up.

I am coming more to grips with the fact that by-in-large this whole craft for cash thing is mostly, well, not a failure, but definitely an experiment that has caused me to redefine my situation.

Yup, by-in-large, I am a housewife. A woman married to a house. (Not really, and I know that being a house wife is really freakin' hard.. why do you think I spent a year trying to avoid it?) The foray into career-craft-worker had turned my house into something like a tiny, messy, live-in factory. ( I do not craft cleanly..and the craft cave cannot contain my crafty exuberance, let alone my set-up sewing machine.) As I clean up for 2008, I am seeing that this is not ideal. I also am coming to grips with the fact that there will be no studio space for Betty in the near future...Optimism alone can not create out buildings.

So since I am now a housewife with all the powers and privileges that title entails, , I must assume some more active responsibility for the condition of the house and surrounding grounds. Otherwise I am just a very crafty Kato Kalin. (And I will be quite satisfied with a small, manageable, online craft business on the side... way on the side.)

So in that spirit:
here are two chairs... recovered by moi.





A teeny bit less shabby, a smidgen more chic.

Just a girl on a mission, trying to earn her keep.

New Vintage #14: What I Was Doing New Year's Eve

This is my new favorite dress in the whole world.
I made it with fabric I got for my birthday (Thanks Again, Valerie!)
It is one of my older patterns (early to mid fifties) and it needed no alterations ,which I love because then sewing is really pretty fast. I felt like this one just Flew Together.
It is comfy and effortless and the fabric is so pretty (Joel Dewberry...)

I have been sitting on this project for a little while because of handmade holidays and getting ready for the C is 4Craft shindig. Let's hear it for sewing for yourself ...

Whoooo Hoooo!!!!!!!!

I am excited to try more 50's patterns and do some more of my own pattern making.

Part of the reason for no alterations was the fact that this is a wrap dress. Stinkin' Cute. Looser for the "Bigger -Post Holiday-No Girdle in My Stocking -Thank You Very Much" Betty and we will just cinch it on up when I magically become "Bikini Ready- Body of A 20 Year Old" Betty.. (I request that the dubious keep their negativity to themselves.. I am trying to develop will power through positive thinking here, people.)

I love this dress so much I put a Bakelite button on it from my treasured and minuscule horde.

Now that is LOVE people.




(Photo credits are to Michelle... My usual photographer is far too preteen these days to (ugh) take pics of his MOM. eeeeeew.)