Some Weather and Some Flicks

GR&DF I do thank you for your kind comments and for your interest in my opinion about the Oscars... but you know me - I would rather walk on my tongue than speak ill of the ignorant or foolish.... I guess I can worry about that tomorrow - today lets dish about the very expensive gowns that made us either cringe or say how lovely!!

Best Dressed - Hands down it had to be Cameron Diaz in an Oscar de la Renta Golden beauty with a close second held by Mo'Nique in a gorgeous blue gown by Tadashi - worst dressed - there are so many where to begin and how to narrow the field!!!

I think the worst dress of the evening was the Givenchy gown worn by Zoe Saldana - too purple, too ruffled, too much - and the pink Galliano gown worn by Charlize Theron was quite odd - what were those bosom fabric petals or swirly bunches on her chest??? I will leave the evening at that -

Yesterday afternoon the weather was so odd - bright and sunny but cold, then dark and rainy that instantly turned to hail - this happened on two occasions in less than an hour - here are some snaps...

looking west towards Twin Peaks and Sutro tower - these clouds built up and up and turned very ominously dark and black...

looking east towards the Bay Bridge and downtown SF - this was during the hail when we were getting rainbowed....

and the the sun broke through and the storm pushed out as quickly as it had come - moving east over Oakland and the central Valley - but we kept the rainbow for a long time with all the residual water in the air.

Last night the stitching was sort of not good - I decided I didn't like the Easter piece I had started last week and had worked on so I tossed it and started something I think will be much better. Sometimes you just gotta throw in the towel and make a new start. I have about 6 days to get it together so I will have to concentrate on this piece this week.

There have been quite a few flickers over the past few days - lest start off with a great Depression era film - "Prosperity" - 1932 - starring Marie Dressler and Polly Moran. A feel good film about the integrity of the banking system in a small town. A short film that showcases Marie Dressler at her best and quirkiest. This is shown on TCM often, if you get the chance you should try and catch it. Next up is "What Price Glory" - 1952 - starring James Cagney an Dan Dailey. A WWI film about two Marines in love with the same vivacious French coquette. Another war flick - you know me and my war films - was "The Hunters" - 1958 - starring Robert Mitchum, Robert Wagner and Richard Egan. A really good film about the "forgotten war" - the Korean War. - Robert Mitchum plays a WWII air ace who is now in charge of some rather cocky new airmen flying fighter jets. The films high points are the air battles -with some really great aerial photography. The last film is "Love me or Leave me" - 1955 - starring Doris Day and James Cagney. The film is the fictionalized version of the rise of Ruth Etting and the stormy relationship she had with her small time gangster "manager" then husband Martin Snyder. I have seen this film many times and always enjoy it. Doris sings some great numbers and James is great as the gangster!!

There you go sports fans. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your comments!!!

Take care,
edgar

Some Stitching and Estate Finds

GR&DF I was a total sucker and watched the whole 82nd Instalment of the Academy Awards - I know, I know.... bitch, bitch, bitch and then I still watch it!! What's up with that??? BTW I did enjoy most of the evening. I could have done with a few less commercials - with an average of 7 per break (of course I counted) I did think that there were too many!! I didn't even mind that it ran over time a bit it was a nice show. I was not sure if Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin where gonna be able to pull it off but they did an admirable job of thoughtful and entertaining banter and kept moving the show along. I did wonder frequently throughout the evening if there was some sort of shortage of combs and brushes in southern California?? Or if there was just some sort of huge wind tunnel that most of the participants walked through on the way into the auditorium???? As most of the "Hair don'ts"I saw where just embarrassing!!!??? I think if one is going to put on a lovely frock that it would behoove one to at least run a comb through ones hair or get a hairpin, bobby pin or ribbon or something to get those locks under control. Now, don't get me wrong I did see some lovely thoughtful hair but for the most part it was rat nest city held together with some gel and spray!!! Are there no mirrors???

Over the weekend I worked some on Memorial Sampler and here is the stitchity progress to date -


There are some odd breaks in the green vine and some odd white spaces I might have to go back in and work on - but for the most part I am really enjoying this stitch and am pleased with the way it is turning out.

On Saturday Dale and I ran around doing our usual Estate and Garage sales and I picked up a few things.....


I got another nice frame - that at some point might just get painted black... a great Red Wing "Dutch Girl" cookie jar, and a set of transferware rim soup bowls. Usually you only find these bowls in singles or at the most two but never in any kind of numbers - and I love me some transferware!!!! They survived my test (a run through the heavy cycle in the dishwasher) and now they are good to go!! I also got a few books, a couple of nice Italian memoirs and a book about Wallis, Duchess of Windsor. So it was a good weekend!!

There you go sports fans - Thanks for stopping by do come again!!

Take care,
edgar

TGIF Once Again

GR&DF another week passes and another year rolls around as we are at Oscar Weekend once again. Sunday evening, March 7th, will be the show 8 PST and 5 EST - not there is much to write home about - but the show is usually pretty good. With Steve Martin and Alex Baldwin hosting it should be very interesting to say the least. One can only hope that they will cut some of the crap they usually show and focus on more of the actual awarding, but I fear that will never happen. The show has lost so much of the glamour and excitement of yesteryear - take the 1950 awards show.....

A publicity shot of the main players in Sunset Boulevard - l to r - Nancy Olsen, William Holden, Gloria Swanson and Erich von Stroheim

......with the split vote for Best Actress between Gloria Swanson - for Norma in "Sunset Boulevard" Bette Davis - for Margo in "All About Eve" that little bit of drama let the Oscar fall to Judy Holliday - for Billie in "Born Yesterday" - it was totally Gloria's year as Bette's roll as Margo was a supporting roll, but with a leading ego that just wouldn't stop she pushed to be nominated out of the correct category. Judy did a fine job in a good movie but not equalled to Gloria's superior job in a great movie. Oh well - they where great actress's in superior rolls in top notch films!! If you get the chance you may want o catch some of Sunday's show.

I saw that one of the exchanges I sent has made it to its new home - I am in an Ornament exchange with a few stitchers and it was an ornament that has arrived -


The design is by Mary Garry called "Peace on Earth." Stitched using the recommended DMC. I am really liking her charts. This chart came from a book circa 1987 - and was sent to me from a dear stitching friend that knows I like me some Mary Garry. It is a shame that her charts have been OOP for so long as they are really nice pieces to stitch. I have the all illusive Sampler Wreath in my stitching queue so you will be seeing that in the next few months getting stitched up.

Still stitching away at Easter.

There you go sports fans. Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend....and do stop by again!!

Take care,
edgar

Thursday Posting

GR&DF I so enjoyed all the comments - thank you for them!! - and the Lolly-nator is still a bit grumpy and wearing the ole Rumba panties. That is not the name that the manufacturer calls them but a name we came up with. If you remember Hunny, our little teacup Chihuahua we lost last year - she only had a few "moon times" and the panties we found for her were bright pink with four or five lines of lace/ruffles along the backside - so we named them her "rumba panties." Now the name has stuck even though Lolly's panties are dark blue fabric without a bit a lace or ruffle anywhere!! We where planning on getting the "big snip" for Lolly, but with her like she is now it has thrown that off schedule - it has been put off until she is back to normal and the cookie shrinks back to its normal size!!

It was totally funny about the dog food - Jennifer mentioned how she decided on what to buy - we have tried numerous types and have finally settled on the senior chicken/lamb/rice by Mighty Dog - they like it and so we get it - and it is often on sale. I guess I am pretty lucky about "doggie day spa" for the hounds. All I have to do is throw the stopper in the kitchen sink and fill it up with warm water and voila a tub for washing Chihuahua's - I forget that with larger dogs there is way more to it - and Anna having to take in Stella for her grooming - I don't think that Pete could stand it - as he usually has a nervous break down just standing in the water.

Melissa asked the other day about where I got "Wisdom Ways" by Traditional Samplers - this one came from Em-Li's. It is a great site and Carol is great to work with. This particular sampler I was totally drawn to not only because of the verse but the border is so very pretty. I know that there are those that do not like stitching borders, but I love doing them and the repetitiveness is so relaxing - I know - total freak here!!!

Last night I did not work on the Memorial Sampler, but started up my next exchange piece - an Easter one that I think will turn out quite pretty.

The flickers where two nice old musicals - the first was "Strike up the Band" - 1940 - starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. It is one of the many "formula" movies they made. I still enjoy them and watch them frequently. The second film was "Cabin in the Sky" - 1943 - starring Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson and Lena Horne. I love this musical and have seen it many times. It is worth the whole picture to see and hear Ethel Waters sing and shimmy. This was the first movie that Vince Minnelli directed. Both films are easy and fun to watch.

There you go sports fans - not too much today. Thanks for stopping by do come again!!

Take care,
edgar

OMG will it Never Stop!!!!

GR&DF I was a bad boy!!! I couldn't resist and all day I kept clicking over and looking at that book ....... that book with a lovely sampler on the cover...... why, oh why is it so hard to hold back!!! Sharlotte mentioned the need of a 12 Step program...... what is needed is an intervention as this can only be called an addiction!!!! So, yes, I ordered Honeysuckle Manor -

and it should arrive in a few days - I need a cigarette or something!!! and I don't smoke!!

Moving on - I finished up an exchange last night but will not get it out until tomorrow - is was a deluge this morning coming in to work and I hadn't gotten it wrapped up well enough to forge through the rain with it - so tomorrow it is.

We have some news about sweet Lolly - over the past few days she has been licking and bothering her nether regions and when I gave it a good look I was amazed that her "cookie" had quadrupled in size - I was stunned to say the least. Then she started to spot so that prompted a visit to PetCo to pick up some Rumba Panties - as she is now "in her Moon" time and becoming a woman - goodness she is only at 10 months!! So in addition to the less than fashionable panties we got some "liners" - which are way big and have to be cut in half to even fit in the XS size outfit we had to get. I also picked up some nice shampoo for the who-hounds. They are in need of a Doggy Day Spa Day - and I think this weekend it will happen. What is so funny is that the shampoo we got is some great smelling Italian imported Honey-Lavender $14 a pop stuff. Now, I don't mind buying nicer stuff for them since I save money on the shampoo I get for us - at $1.69 a bottle Suave does the job on my 4 hairs just fine!! What we won't do for our babies!!!!

The flicker last night was an older musical "Twenty Million Sweethearts" - 1934 - starring Dick Powell, Ginger Rogers and Pat O'Brien. A nice piece with some catchy tunes - the story is of a crooner trying to break into Radio and onto the "Carlotta Soap" show. Typical Powell fare and worth a look.

There you go sports fans - I may post a snap of the Memorial Sampler as I have thrown some floss into that off and on over the past few days..... we'll see if I can get a decent snap or not. Thanks for stopping by and for you kind comments about my addiction!!

Take care,
edgar

Stitching Porn

GR&DF thank you for your visits and kind comments. I do appreciate them and the time it takes for you to leave them. I am feeling like I should do a give away soon........ just a thank you - so keep watching.

I got back some funions from the evil tax man - and instead of doing something constructive or grown up - like pay a bill or cc - how novel would that have been!! I decided to thrown some of it into the abyss that has become the economy. Yesterday all of it arrived in one fell swoop and here is a snap of the un-needed but lovely stash......

It is my stitching porn - and I love it!!! I just felt that I deserved it- not that I needed it, as you all know I am trying to de-stash, but some of these things are just way too cute to pass. They are also a couple of things that I have wanted for a long time. From the top left we have Book III - The Gardening Series and Book IV - Quaker Series from The Goode Huswife. These are probably the last chances to get them as once they are gone they are supposedly never to be done again and will become OOP. I fell in love with the gardening things when I saw them on Vonna's Blog - and have loved the Quaker pieces forever. I had a couple of the Quaker charts already (from eBay) but the majority I did not have. Next are two of the four new designs from Prairie Schooler - a real favorite of mine, then there is Heaven Above, The Dirty Brown Sampler, Farmers Prayer and In Wisdom's Way. The last two in the pile are the new BBD series for 2010 - I will collect them all before stitching them up - I don't know why but BBD Designs always appeal to me and these monthly little house samplers will be great all together on one piece of linen. I didn't get the new BBD book - Honeysuckle Manor, yet... I feel the itchy finger for this book as I have heard that it is really good!! Only a matter of time before I cave, but at the moment I am strong - well , not that strong!

The flicker last night was "Crossfire" - 1947 - starring Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan and Gloria Grahame. This was another Film Noir directed by Edward Dmytryk - it was also the first message movie to deal directly with the subject of antisemitism beating "Gentleman's Agreement" to the theaters by 3 months. It was nominated for 5 Oscars including Best Picture - which was won by Gentleman's Agreement. A taught well played film - where Robert Young playing the detective investigating the murder says - "Hate is just another type of Gun" - what a great line - and still has resonance today!! The story is based on the the book "The Brick Foxhole" by Richard Brooks which dealt with homophobia and not antisemitism - to get the movie done the story was changed to racism and antisemitism.

There you go sports fans - Thanks for stopping by - do come again.

Take care,
edgar

Kind Words and a Lovely Ornament

GR&DF - wowsers - this Monday morning it was so nice to read every ones comments - I do thank you for the kind words and gentle thoughts!! I did want to answer some of the questions.... The memory of Berit is great!! Yes I did have my school colours in mind when I stitched the ABC piece up - East Carolina colours are purple and gold - the Belle Soie colours I chose are quite a bit darker than the actual colours but are reminiscent of them and remind me of the great years I spent going to school in North Carolina - GO PIRATES!!!!!! Melissa mentioned about how skinny the frame is - It is a bit on the narrow/skinny side, but the glass that came with it was on the thin side and even pinning the piece to the acid free foam core there was barely a tiny bit of over hang and the paper back sealed it up nicely - I could see why a framer would not want to use this sort frame as it was made for a flat piece of paper picture (the frame came with a "gorgeous" print of a Chinese junk - heavy on the junk if you ask me and it was the first thing to get gone when I got home!!) but I am a determined person when it comes to some things and It was gonna fit - In the past I have thought about having a framer reuse one of my finds but since I can do it myself why bother. Lynette asked about the designer - it was part of a SAL by Gazette94 - she is a designer and has some lovely free designs to stitch. Nic asked about if I have a list of pieces - or just how I buy frames. I usually buy what appeals to me at the moment. I do carry a tape measure and a short list of finished pieces but that never hinders my buying as at some point I might be able to use something. In fact this past weekend I found two nice frames that do not fit anything I have finished at the moment. They where totally inexpensive and I can see that at some point I might be able to use them - so into the spare closet they go...... I think you just have to go out with an open mind that you may or you may not find something and you certainly can not look at what is in the frame as it is often something not so great - just look past that and see your work in there!!

On Friday the mail brought me my Round 4 Ornament - from Roberta - and it is a beauty!!
Here is a snap -

This is a design by Mary Garry - Seasonal Mementos - December - and I just love it!!! I stitched this one up last year for another exchange and really wanted on for my own and now I have one!!! Thank you so much Roberta!!!!!

There were a couple of flickers from the weekend I wanted to mention - both 1940's suspense pieces - in the mystery Noir style. First up would be "Murder my Sweet" - 1944 - starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley and Otto Kruger. This is a great film for many reasons - it was Dick Powell's break with MGM and his song and dance image, here he is playing Phillip Marlow (the first time Marlow appears on the silver screen) a gun toting, wisecracking, Dame chasing Private eye. It was also a break with image for Claire Trevor where she was used to playing "good time" girls with a heart of gold - here she plays all bad all the time... but beautiful poison is always the tastiest!! The story circles around a bar, a jade necklace and murder!! If you like gum chewing dames and some great B&W cinematography you should check this one out. Second up is "Saboteur" - 1942 starring Robert Cummings, Priscilla Lane and Otto Kruger. This Alfred Hitchcock flick is about a falsely accused man on the run looking for the real villain - with a beautiful girl to help. A top notch suspense film that still holds up. I would recommend both films.

There you go sports fans!! The weekend was pretty nice without much of the rain we where to expect. Thank you for stopping by - do come again!!

Take care,
edgar