I Can Get You A Toe or..How the Cohen Brothers saved my life.

I am reminded this morning of how stressful my "real life" job can be. I work for a domestic violence/sexual assault crisis line. For 40 hours (and sometimes more) a week, I hear every horror story you can imagine. It is not a glamorous job, there is never any funding and it's pretty thankless, but I still love it. I experience a lot of vicarious trauma in my work and I am always looking for ways to promote good healthy self care. This is where the Cohen Brothers saved my life.

I have three words for you. THE BIG LEBOWSKI. This is possibly one of the best movies ever made, period. I have come home many days, disillusioned with the world, popped this movie in and within a matter of minutes, life is perfect again. I know on an average, I will watch this movie in some form (maybe not all the way through) once a week. This movie is so ingrained in my life that my very own OMP has been Walter a few times for Halloween (if you know OMP, Walter might not be that much of a stretch, just kidding, kinda!). The story is told by a cowboy stranger (Sam Elliott, not Sam Shepard-Thanks Crystal! I get those guys wrong all the time and I can't believe OMP didn't catch that!-I love this man-Hello, Roadhouse!) about "The Dude" Lebowski and how he is mistaken for Mr.Lebowski or "The BigLebowski". There is a kidnapping plot, bowling, and German nihilists in this twisted tales of "in's and out's and a lot of what have you's" . I know between me and OMP we could quote every line of this movie. Apparently I'm not the only person who loves this movie. It didn't do well at the box office but it has become a cult classic. There are numerous groups around the US and even a Lebowskifest that celebrates The Dude and all aspects of the movie. Most words can not express my love for this film. It makes me happy of every level of my being

A few years back I had a lot of crappy stuff happen in my life. I seriously thought the world was crashing in around me, but once again The Cohen Brothers were there to help me out of my slump. This is not a lie...EVERY day for 3 months I came home and watched Oh Brother Where Art Thou. EVERY DAY! It's a tale of Homer's Odyssey told in the 1930's south. This is another movie that I could probably quote every line from but I'll spare you. A few of the same players in The Big Lebowski are in this film as well-John Goodman, John Turturro are the first to come to mind. The adventures are wonderful, the dialogue is amazing and the music is steeped in home town Americana.

Now I'm not saying that The Cohen brothers can cure cancer, they won't solve all the world's problems. Okay, so The Big Lebowski could solve all of the world's problems. What I am saying is that for film making at it finest, for laughs and dialogue that you will be quoting for years to come, you should check out these two movies. Mix up a Caucasian, snuggle up next to your marmot and prepare for a life altering experience that only the Cohen Brothers can provide.

Scrappy Dog Sunday!

I'll fully admit that I am a sucker for cute animals. I can not resist a sweet scrappy face. I just want to give it a big kiss (yes, I am that kind of aunt!). So, when mindboggld on flickr added me as a contact and I saw her pooch Lexi, I could not resist asking for an interview. How can you resist that face? That is 100% scrappy adorable-a-ness!



Lexi,what do you want people to know about you?
I'm a fun-loving pup that loves to dance, shake my tail (which shakes the rest of me), and can be a little spastic when my family comes home - be it after they get home from school or work, or if they just went to the mailbox and back.

If you can have anything in the world, what would it be?
My own car with driver. I love to go for a ride, but couldn't drive cause I have to stick my head out the window for the whole experience. That wouldn't be too much fun if I had to drive too. Plus, I think I might be too short to hit the pedals. Yup, I'd need a driver.

Do you mind if your mom dresses you up?
I'll put up with it cause it makes her happy, but I'd rather wear my birthday suit. It's what God gave me - might as well go with it.. besides.. have you seen how pretty my hair is? Why would you want to cover it up?

What's your favorite thing to do all day?
If I could be with my mom 24/7 I would. When she's home I'm either right beside her, sitting on my pillow in her craft room or trying to get her attention. My favorite place to be is on the couch, on her lap as she embroiders... I like to supervise and make sure she's doing it right.
Do you have a favorite animal movie?
Oh geez! I love animal movies.. Hotel for Dogs is my fave right now, but really - if there's a handsome male dog that'll make me pant, I'm all for watching it!

BONUS QUESTION.
Finish this sentence.
Happiness is...... digging for moles,finding packages of gum to chew (I prefer minty flavors!), playing keep away with my family, car rides and snuggling. Ooo did I mention I love car rides?

Didn't I tell you? Lexi is adorable! It makes me so happy that she has a wonderful family and a wonderful outlook on life! Thank you Lexi! You get the Lola Scrappy Seal of Approval!

Jack Russells 1-Bears 0

This is why we can't have nice things.

Why do they always go after the nose and butt?

Feel Good Friday

Yahoo! Friday! Get Funky! Oh yeah! The weekend is almost here and I am feeling good. I've started my weekend early by blasting The Clash in my office and dancing around for a little bit. Doesn't everyone do that at 7:30 in the morning? Anyhoo....here are some things that are making me feel good today. I hope they do the same for you!

This isn't really a website or a place to go but it's my playlist and it is making me so happy right now. I'm jumping around the office like I'm twelve again.

Do ya-ELO
Wild One-Those Darlins (we'll get back to these guys!)
Howlin' at the Moon-The Ramones
I fought the Law- The Clash
Train in Vain-The Clash
Head on -Jesus and Mary Chain
Everywhere at Once-The Plimsouls
Mr. FixIt-The Amazing Crowns
I was Wrong-Social Distortion
Give a Little Bit-Supertramp (I know, this it totally out of left field, but it makes me feel good)
Alright-Darus Rucker
And what EVERY girl has on any mix tape, CD, ipod-ABBA!-Any song will do!

Okay, so now that I have you moving your butt, dancing around, smiling, I want to introduce you to Those Darlins. They are a super sassy girl band with a southern twang. My friend Lori emailed me and said that this song reminds her of me and that she could see me singing it. I completely agree with her! I think this might be my new theme song. I instantly fell in love with them and had to check out the rest of their CD. It is amazing! If they are coming to a town near you, check them out.


Speaking of cute, I was cruising Flickr this morning and ran across the cutest little embroidery! It was stitched up by kunderwood. I love her hair!


I adore everything louiseblack does! Her corsets are amazing.


We have been having a heatwave in Portland this week. It's been anywhere from 90-107 this past week and incase you don't know, the majority of us in the Pacific Northwest do not do well with heat. So, when I saw Craft post a DIY for ice cream drumstitcks, I knew I had to make some.


Well, there ya have it!A few things to make you happy on this Friday. I strongly suggest to make your smile a little bigger- put on your favorite outfit, blast your favorite tunes and dance like no one is watching. It works for me!

Pixieland!

When I was a little kid, I would visit my aunts in Oregon and we would go to Pixieland. I loved that place! They had a log flume, a train you could ride, and a cheese cave where you could try every kind of cheese your little brain could imagine. Besides having an awesome cheese cave, they had a diner. I love diners! We don't have a lot of them on the west coast and it's something I really miss.
Pixieland had their own Pixie Kitchen, and although I'm sure I was full from the cheese cave, I'm betting they have fabulous food.

So, even though Pixieland and Pixie Kitchen closed, the memories are still with me. I'm lucky enough to have some of the figurines from the restaurant. They are so adorable!

I love this little mermaid! She is the cutest!

The little seahorse cowboy.

The whale looks pretty happy that the captain is steering him.

And last, a little Pixie serving ya some grub.

The best way to know that you have an authentic Pixie Kitchen figurine is to check the bottom. It should say Pixie Kitchen, Ocean Lake, OR. You can still find a few out there but they are scarce. Of course I love the hunt, so I'm always on the look out. Oh yeah, I'm thinking that I need to start Pixieland II, if nothing else but for the cheese cave. Who's with me?

I'm Just Giddy over Giddygirlie

When I first saw Giddy Girlie on Craftster.org, I knew we were kindred spirits. Then is happened- she posted her Venture Brother's set, I knew I had to interview her and find out more about this amazingly talented person. She is pretty rad!

Who is the real giddygirlie?

My real name is Mia and everyone pretty much just calls me Mia. Except Kate who, despite being a 'real life friend,' sometimes calls me "Giddy" and my husband is "Mr. Giddy."

You do so many different crafts, which is your favorite and why?

They are all my favorites, in different ways and for different reasons. I am terrible about picking just one of anything, so I always tend to be working on several things at once and switching between them when it suits my mood. I like the delicate control of the needle with embroidering small pieces of work, but sometimes it's nice to work with something a little more "loose" like the dot paintings, which have no pre-set pattern or design to them.

One constant thing in my work is that none of it takes very long to accomplish. I really like to be able to see tangible results, so long-term projects (like knitting a sweater) are too frustrating. Most of my work only takes a couple of hours, even if I spread it over a couple of days.

I see you do a lot of comic/pop culture pieces. What are your favorite comics, cartoons, shows?

I have a lot of fun making the pop culture types of pieces because it offers a challenge to me, to take an established icon and interpret it in my style, but also because it gives the products a lot of recognition and I love being at craft fairs and conventions and seeing people's faces light up when they see something that they know and love sitting on my table.

I live a very childish life, which lends itself very naturally to cartoons and silliness. My husband is a comic book artist, which is where I get the majority of my comic book input. I don't read many monthly books, but I really love the Fables series and Y The Last Man was brilliant. I also like some of the cheeky books, like the Haunted Mansion series and the works of Angus Oblong, and even the adaptations of Futurama and The Simpsons.

My all-time favorite TV shows would be Arrested Development and Spaced, and favorite cartoon, The Venture Brothers. Both of them have very intricate plot lines with brilliant foreshadowing and call-backs, so in addition to being extremely well-written, they reveal a new 'layer' each time you watch them. I love them!

Inspiring words for the masses?

It's probably not "inspirational," per se, but one of the things that I am trying to overcome is my shyness about talking to creators that I like. I've found myself, more and more lately, sending off an email or meeting someone at a convention or craft show just to say "I love what you do" or "I appreciate what you create" and it's been a very positive experience. (This also works, even if you can't afford their work!) I think it's always nice for anyone to hear that they've made a difference in someone's life - even if it's as simple as you made someone smile. One of the best compliments that I've ever gotten came from a 6 year old boy who liked what I'd made for him. That kind of thing sticks in your heart and helps you get through the 'blah' times, so share your appreciation freely! And if you ever come across someone who DOESN'T like your compliment, I'll take it instead! ;-)

What or who inspires you?

I'm inspired by everything, all the time. I pick up cues from sunny days and smiling dogs and use it to fuel my inner giddy girlie. There are also quite a few artists that have the ability to tickle my funny bone every time. A short list of the eleventy billion people who make art that I love: BeeFranck, Kate (Junebug Memories), Kevin Kidney & Jody Daily, MimiLove, MrXStitch, Roscata, Scott Campbell, and Shannon (Giggly Mama)

Do you have a website? Etsy?

I keep a personal blog over at http://giddygirlie.blogspot.com and a crafty one at http://giddycrafts.blogspot.com. I also sell my crafty geekery over on etsy at http://giddygirlie.etsy.com!


BONUS QUESTION!
If you HAD to make out with Dean or Hank which would you pick?

I think it would have to be Dean. He's the sensitive one, who will put on a play to entertain you and dress up in his finest for your date. Even though he won't be able to protect you should a supervillian come after you, he'd make you feel like the most special person in the world. Plus, he practices kissing his hand, so he'd be better prepared than Hank. ;-)

Oh! Such a tough decision! I'm not sure who I would pick! Dean is more sensitive but Hank has a hoagie stand-yes I am totally geeking out on The Venture Brothers! Thanks Mia for an awesome interview. I can't wait to see what you create next.

Hot Fun in the Summertime!

Ah summertime, nothing is better than floating in a pool, radio playing, catching some rays. Yeah, that would be nice if 1-I had a pool and 2- It wasn't a million degrees outside. So, I've decided to stay in my air conditioned house and watch a few rock n' roll movies. Now before I get started, yes I know there are a ton of them out there and I will definitely revisit this topic time and time again so if I don't pick your favorite this time, I probably will in a few weeks.

This week, I am going to focus on some summertime favorites that I remember seeing when I was a kid.



Let me start with Rock n' Roll High School. I remember seeing this movie for the first time at the midnight movie (Remember those? Rocky Horror always comes to mind) in Chapel Hill . What's not to love about this movie? The Ramones, PJ Soles, blowing up a school. C'mon! It doesn't get much better than that. The soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission. I had heard that originally Cheap Trick was suppose to be the band and not the Ramones. I think I may have peed my pants if Cheap Trick was the band, but that's a whole other story. If you were a little punk rock chick in the 80's, you wanted to be PJ Soles in the movie (minus the crush on Joey). She was cute and sassy. You have horrible Principal Togar trying to keep Riff Randall down and destroy rock n' roll. The struggle finally reaches a boiling point when the kids take over the school and The Ramones show up to help out with the decline of the student body. OMP says, "Say hey to Vince for us!"
If you know this movie, you get the joke.

So here I am a little older, and thinking that I need something a little more mature. I'm going for Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Not necessarily a music movie but man, the soundtrack is amazing! You know you remember when Phoebe Cates is coming out of the pool and The Cars Moving in Stereo is playing. That image is burned in every teenage boy's mind. Or what about when Rat is taking out Stacey and Led Zeppelin's Kashmir is playing (When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV-Another OMP moment, he is telling me for Led Zeppelin purist, Kashmir is not from Led Zeppelin IV) There are several plots going on here. The best one has to be the battle between Mr. Hand and Spicoli. We get to see a young Sean Penn before he was all Madonna'd and PC'd up. He plays a complete SoCal stoner and we loved him like that! So, side note-Sean,please go back to the stoner surfer, it works! There are a million memorable quotes-that I still say today. This movie does have adult themes so not one for the kiddies!


I couldn't resist this last movie cause well, cause I'm a chick, a child of the 80's, loved roller skating and wanted so desperately to be Oliva Newton John not only in Grease but also in Xanadu. Don't roll your eyes at me. You know you love Xanadu. If you were a little girl in the 80's you loved it! It's okay, your secret is safe with me. Another reason I couldn't resist this movie this week is that I have been on an ELO kick. Yes, I do know this movie is bad, so get off me! OLJ plays a muse that is trying to help Sonny(aka Michael Beck) realize his dreams. She inspires him by roller skating around him and introducing him (in a round about way-get it rollerskating, around...it's sounded a lot funnier in my head) to Danny, played by Gene Kelly. Gene died shortly after this, and no OMP, it's not from embarrassment. ELO did the sound track-which I still love and we have a brief music video with The Tubes. This movie is really bad but in a fun kitschy way and it's awesome for a girl's only crafting night.


Well, there you have it! Find your old mix tapes, dust off the walkman and roller skate on down to your video store, but this time, make sure you wear safety pads, no one wants you breaking a hip.