R.I.P. Suze Rotolo (November 20, 1943 – February 24, 2011)

R.I.P. Annie Girardot (October 25, 1931 – February 28, 2011)

all i want is loving you and music, music, music

couldn't you just eat her up?!

this isn't what it looks like

artist Alexa Meade uses human models and acrylic paint to “perceptually compress three dimensional space into a two dimensional plane”. the results are astonishing, wouldn't you say? see more here.

you can't say 'Bombshell' on an airplane #8 - mamie van doren

mama needs a brand new bag

were i in the market for some handcrafted artisanal quality designer leather (which, incidentally, retails for twice my monthly condo fees), i would adhere myself to one of Brooklyn based a.b.k.'s masterpieces o' bag and never let go. should you happen to have four to six hundred bucks burning a hole in your pocket, i suggest you do the same.

best. photo project. ever.

i am so completely and utterly in love with Argentinian photographer Irina Werning's Back to the Future project, i could vomit. these are some of my favourites from the series in which Irina's subjects reinact their own photos. i find these images deeply moving in the humorous way that they approach the inevitable passage of time. i think everyone should do this! see more here.

decidedly weird vintage valentines

happy valentines day! this isn't a holiday i actively participate in for a whole mess o reasons i would verbalize if not for fear of raining on your parades, but i do have a love of vintage valentine cards, and as far as i'm concerned, the weirder the ephemera, the better...

and now for the strangest valentine i have ever laid eyes on:

R.I.P. Betty Garrett (May 23, 1919 – February 12, 2011)

all the king's women #28 - julie adams

born in Iowa on October 17, 1926, Julie Adams' birth name was Betty May - later changed by Universal Studios, first to Julia and then to Julie. raised in Arkansas, Julie moved to California in pursuit of an acting career. there she became a part-time secretary while taking speach lessons and visiting studio casting departments.



Julie's first role was as a starlet in Red Hot and Blue (1949), in which she was credited under her birth name, followed by a series of six cheap westerns, all filmed in a period of 5 weeks. her big break came while reading lines opposite football player Leon Hart in a Universal Studios screen test intended for him. the Detroit Lions player proved a better athlete than an actor, but the studio fell for miss Adams and promptly changed her name and signed her up!




Julie's career began in B-movies, and the role that would bring her the most attention came in 1954 when she starred in Creature form the Black Lagoon.


A few films later, Adams made a shift to the idiot box, appearing almost exclusively in television from 1957 until present day (her most recent role being in the TV series Lost). 'course a movie or two did pop up in the middle of it all, which brings us to Julie's connection with the King...


In 1965 Adams had the fortune of appearing opposite Elvis, and the misfortune of appearing in one of his less than stellar screen endeavours. in Tickle Me Julie plays Vera Radford, owner of the dude ranch/health-spa-for-wealthy-hot-chicks that Elvis' singing rodeo cowboy character wanders into. what with all them women and the promise of hidden gold in a nearby ghost town thrown in, hilarity inevitably ensues (once again). the film made big money at the boxoffice, which is surprising considering they didn't even bother recording new songs for this one. the soundtrack is made up of songs recorded from 1960-1963, all having been released previously on various albums.

Julie has been married and divorced twice, to actor/director Ray Danton, with whom she has two sons, Steve and Mitchell, both in the movie business; and to screenwriter Leonard Stern.

claire pestaille

love these. see more of Claire Pestaille's fascinating photo collages here.

35 things to do in my 35th year

click images for sources

35 years ago today, a little baby me took her first breath of air. three and a half decades later, i remain a work in progress, just as we all are. it is in the interest of progress that i began the loose leaf traditon -now in it's 3rd year- of compiling a list of goals for the year ahead. you can visit my first two lists here and here. i can't quite explain it yet, but this feels like an important year for me. i sense a great deal of positive change ahead. haven't felt this way in some time and i welcome it more than i can say. so without further ado and in no particular order, here is my list of 35 things to do in my 35th year...
(pink = done)
1. actually put something up for sale on the loose leaf tigers etsy shop that's been sitting empty since february 2009 (!)

2. visit the renegade craft fair in any of it's incarnations (preferably San Francisco or Brooklyn)

3. complete at least two workshops/classes - you're never too old to learn something new! 3/2 (completed an online painting workshop called Get Your Paint On. you can read about it here , also attended a scriptwriting presentation and an animation software demo)

4. work on the handbook i've been daydreaming about - i'd like to see an outline at the very least

5. actually use the benefits alotted for massage that my work offers. i have never been for a massage in this country. this must be remedied.

6. submit a piece of writing to a magazine/newspaper/website - anywhere!

7. spend as much time as i possibly can creating -be it painting, drawing, taking photos or writing, giving as little thought as possible to mistakes and failure and all that yucky stuff
- ima give myself half o this one. i coulda spent more time creating, but i made a strong effort to block out my inner critic this year, and for that i applaud myself *(it really was no easy task)

8. have something on display somehwere - ideally a little art show in a cafe or some such thing [k, so i haven't done this yet, but there's an art show coming up at my work and i've marked the submission day down on my calendar. this one'll have to trickle into 36 :)]

9. go camping in the beautiful northern regions of the province i call home

10. get new specs

11. lose 20 pounds (i've lost ten since January 1st! 20 more to go)

12. quit smoking. for ten years i've been holding my 35th birthday as the day i finally kick the habit. this one starts tomorrow. wish me luck!

13. learn german. my dad gave me a German language CD for christmas, so i'm on my way! - 'nother trickler. i've signed up for a German class that starts in April

14. pay off my credit cards. pesky buggers.

15. learn to swim

16. get photoshop and take a refresher course. (refreshing myself)


17. get a lens for my camera that lets me open the aperture to 1.8

18. learn to develop my own photos

19. find a studio space that i can actually afford to rent

20. reorganize and revamp this blog

21. take a funny picture of my husband and I with our dog to use as a christmas card

22. have a girls only weekend getaway with my ladyfriends

23. visit the Museum of Modern Art
24. eat at summerlicious - i always say i'm going to, but i've only been once and that was years ago

25. learn to play at least one song on guitar

26. go to the jazz age lawn party on governor's island

27. read at least 10 books 8/10

28. have a drink (or two) at a swim up pool bar

29. try hot yoga

30. play outside more

31. get a new bike. the one i bought off craig's list last year was a rip off and barely made it through the season :(

32. go on a road trip and complete volume three of my Road Chronicles DVD

33. learn to meditate

34. see more of my family. my brother moved to a new house (albeit a 3 hour drive away) like a year ago, and i haven't even seen it yet. shame on me.

35. attempt, once again, to accomplish all the things i missed from last year’s list

thank you all for indulging me. i hope it feels like your birthday today, even if it isn't! i'm off to dinner with my lovely husband. bonsoir darlings!

if polygamy were legal # 34

if polygamy were legal, i would marry this dress today and then renew my vows to it in fifty years, just 'cause it's that bleedin classic. looking at the rest of my wives, i'm starting to see a recurring pattern. i could have a whole harem of full skirted shirt dresses. hurry up spring g*dammit!

winter in durham

ok winter, i've had just about enough of you. my weary frame is in dire need of a vitamin D dose. i'm yearning for some colours other than white and grey, as is customary for me this time of year. but alas, there are weeks, perhaps even months to go before spring comes to Toronto, so all we can do is try and make the best of things. sometimes it helps to get out of the big city and see the snow in a cleaner incantation. my friend and i did just that the other day, driving out to Durham county to take some photos on a sunny winter's day. here a a couple of my favourites.

keep dreaming of springtime! maybe it will get here faster :)

R.I.P. Tura Satana (July 10, 1938 – February 4, 2011)