before i die...

check out this incredible street instalation by Candy Chan. Candy transformed the back of an abandoned house in New Orleans into a chalkboard of shared aspirations. and the best part is, whenever the wall is full, she washes it clean and the process begins again. i like this. read all about it here.

cabin fever

rustic camping stool

i haven't been posting as often as usual. blame it on cabin fever. winter is hanging on here like a piece o gum that gets stuck in your hair and i've got some serious seasonal whatchamacallit. i'll bet that if i looked up the posting frequency of previous years, there'd be a lull about this time ever year. this slow and arduous season turn, promising spring and then snatching it back again over and over. but don't cry for me argentina, i have recently received word that our site has been successfully booked for a mid-June canoe trip!!! and though i realize this is months away, i am already dreaming of paddles n pine trees. . .

bakelight lantern/flashlight

shawl neck sweater

vintage binoculars t shirt

axe brooch

explorer case

little red lantern necklace

pinecone print

R.I.P. Elizabeth Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011)

hall of dames #22 - malvina reynolds

singer, songwriter and activist Malvina Reynolds' most famous song, Little Boxes (made famous by the great Pete Seeger), recently enjoyed renewed popularity as the theme song for the showtime TV series Weeds - and thank goodness for that, 'cause that's how i first came across her music.

Malvina was born in San Francisco in 1900. she married a carpenter and labor organizer in 1934 -William "Bud" Reynolds- and the two had a child, Nancy Reynolds Schimmel, now a songwriter and performer herself. though refused her highschool diploma because of her parents' vocal opposition to World War I, Malvina went on to earn a doctorate in Romance Philology from Berkley in 1939, long before it was considered proper for women her age to return to school. it wasn't until her late 40s, after meeting Pete Seeger and other folk singers, that Malvina began writing songs in earnest. Malvina's songs have since been recorded by Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, the Seekers, Harry Belafonte and Elvis Costello, among others.

Malvina wrote songs for Women for Peace, the Nestle Boycott, the sit-ins in San Francisco on auto row and at the Sheraton-Palace, the fight against putting a freeway through Golden Gate Park and other causes. she wrote songs for children and contributed material to PBS's Sesame Street, on which she made occasional appearances as a character named Kate. when Malvina passed away in 1978, the world lost an extraordinary and inspirational human being, who lived as an example that it's never too late to discover and pursue your passions, that it's cool to be smart and to express your opinions and that blindly conforming to the status quo will only prevent you from truly becoming yourself. thank you Malvina!

if you'd like to know more about Malvina, check out her daughter's blog about writing her mother's biography.

this last one is a short song that you must listen to all the way to the end. the last verse makes me want to cry.

forgive me

i hope you'll forgive my absence this past week. busy as a bee at work and haven't had a lot of time for blogging. in two hours i'm off to the hair dresser to chop off all my locks! provided i'm not traumatized by the results, i'll be sure to post a photo of my new doo. i'm wishing you all a wonderful weekend and thanking you ever so much for continuing to visit me here. i got nothin but love for you people! xo

grace o'connor

i'm diggin the heavy nostalgia of Grace O'Connor's paintings. i'd love to have one of these dudes hanging in my rec room (if i had one). see her website for more of her marvelous work.

amelie on the brain

Tshirt

it's been 10 years since the release of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie (2001). this is a film that has extraordinary resonance for me, as for thousands of others. it came to mind this morning and i remembered it warmly. so, here is a collection of Amelie inspired items i came across while i should have been working ;)

jacket

red dress

boots

magnifying glass

gold frame

Michael Sowa print

garden gnome

photo strip

instamatic camera

Amelie's pig lamp

2011 wall callendar

chrysanthamum wallpaper

french spoons (for your creme brulee)

if you're interested, there's also a fun Amelie inspired photoshoot here, an Inspired by Amelie flickr group here, and a crafty blog called Inspired by Amelie that offers Amelie themed challenges(although it appears to be since defunct). hope you enjoyed this post, i think i might have to rent the movie again soon!

all the king's women #29 - mary ann mobley

Mary Ann Mobley was born on February 17, 1939 in Biloxi, Mississippi. in 1959, she entered the Miss America Pageant. for the talent portion of the competition, Mobley sang a highly formal, operatic rendition of Puccini's "Un Bel Di" that transitioned into an energetic version of "There'll Be Some Changes Made", as she stripped into something skimpier. she won the crown, becoming the first Mississippian to do so.




when her reign had ended, Mobley began her television career, making appearances in shows like Perry Mason, Mission Impossible, and later Fantasy Island, the Love Boat and Different Strokes.
of course, the reason i'm writing of her now is for her connection to the King.
in what i consider to be the highlight of a career that included a standing position on Hollywood Squares, Mary Ann appeared in not one, but two Elvis films: Girl Happy, costarring Shelley Fabares, and Harum Scarum - both in 1965.

as it's tagline suggests ("Elvis brings the big beat to Bagdad in a riotous rockin' rollin' adventure spoof!!!"), Harum Scarum is a little on the silly side. Mobley plays Princess Shalimar, damsel-in-distress to Elvis' tanned and turbaned Johnny Tyrone. though much of the film remains below the standards of most, there lies a hidden gem within the mire, in So Close, Yet So Far - one of the better songs in an an Elvis flick of this period [if you can get past the outfit].



in 1967, Mary Ann married actor Gary Collins. they have one child, daughter Mary Clancy Collins. Mobley is well know for her charity work and has been a March of Dimes spokeswoman for over 25 years. in 2009, she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, and is currently in remission.

though i look nothing like these stunningly beautiful ladies, i'm pretty sure i want this haircut.

hugo lugo

these marvelous paintings are the work of Mexican artist Hugo Lugo whose work spans the disciplines of painting, sculpture and photography. see more at Hugo's website, and be sure to check out his incredible murals.