Grosgrain’s “Embellish Knit Month”
14 Dec 2010 1 Comment
Thanks to \”What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?\”, I came across yet another fantastic blog today: Grosgrain!
No bad puns here, don't worry.
For those of us obsessed with Anthropologie’s killer cardigans, this is the site! And score–for one month straight this woman is re-doing low-priced (or shop-your-closet) knits to look like their higher-priced counterparts. She takes you through the process of re-sewing/embellishing each look, step by step. Just look at this adorable Kate Spade look-alike! Of course, copying designs for production is very, very wrong. Personal use? Bring it.
Thank you, Grosgrain, for the lovely inspiration!
Too hot in the kitchen? How about a Unicorn?
11 Dec 2010 1 Comment
C’mon, everyone loves unicorns!
So pretty!
How about I throw in some kittens too, just for good measure?
Aw, there, that's better, isn't it? Adopt a cat today from SPCA.org (Photo: LoveMeow.com)
But seriously. …Seriously?
Seriously. Adopt your animals from the SPCA, if you can. These animals need homes desperately. Supporting pet mills sucks.
And as for the unicorn? New exhibit at the Ontario Science Center. Looks like fun! Cheers to good humor and different strokes.
“Carnivorous Nights” Rogue Taxidermy Contest
08 Dec 2010 5 Comments
in Oh the things I've seen..., Uncategorized
Die Wolperdinger... in his natural habitat... an antiques shop.
Last night I went here. By myself, if I might add, because I guess this does not sound so fun to most other people I know. Boy, I’ll bet they’re sorry now.
First, Melissa Milgrom, author of Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy (Ahem, this is on my Amazon wishlist!), began with her story of learning the craft (she mounted one squirrel, and decided that was enough). She got to learn with the best of the best: the family who has long mounted exotic creatures for the Smithsonian. Wow. I don’t even dare to dream. That’s like getting a private tutoring session with Dr. Bill Bass.
Phar Lap the famous racehorse was mounted by the Jonas Bros (no, not those Jonas Brothers). The musculature in this piece is absolutely incredible!
The contest was preceded with a presentation by Mike Zohn (of Discovery’s “Oddities” fame) on the history and modern revival of taxidermy. My favorite part of his slideshow was a series of photos documenting the mounting of Phar Lap, the racehorse. It was amazing to see how they articulated the skeleton, and then built up the musculature/soft tissue with other materials before finally covering it all with the hide (this is a must-do for anyone wanting their horse mounted, as the pre-fab horse forms out there pretty much suck).
Read the NY Times article about the contest here.
My favorite presenter of the night was one Beth Beverly, of Diamond Tooth Taxidermy. Her first submission was “Elke,” the white Rat Terrier. Resplendent she was, sitting on her emerald (and finely tasseled!) pillow. Ms. Beverly told the story of a phone call early in the morning from a stranger… their dog had died… come pick it up. Elke was Ms. Beverly’s first dog mount. I think she did a lovely job–very glamourous! I found it interesting, her take on mounting a pet. I was touched at the thought and respect she spoke with for the creatures she works with, both wild and domestic.
This sensitivity was most-welcome, as the show had plenty of perversities to follow–from questionable irreverence to downright disrespect for the medium (only in my humble opinion, apparently, as the crowd seemed to love the idea of an ape made out of a whitetail’s rump or a “vortex” made of Grandma’s (yes, literally, Grandma’s) treasured silver fox, presented with utterly disinterested blasé–which I found offensive).
Ms. Beverly’s second submission was that of a young pullet, dressed as a virgin princess. But my favorite thing was actually her hat–another chicken (this one red) posing daintily on her head. Hot!
Takeshi Yamada stole the show with his shining personality and fabricated "alien" skulls. Not my thing, but very entertaining!
Her blog is also something to check out. It’s got a lot of good technical info on taxidermy, great photos and, um… cooking tips? I would probably not be so brave unless I killed the animal myself and knew how it died, but whatevs–props to her for her “no-waste” mindset, right? Definitely! Plus, I noticed that she, too, is looking to make a pair of shoes out of hooves (I TOLD you I was onto something… everyone’s starting to come around now…).
Walking his new friend home? Or just in time for dinner?
All in all, I preferred the presenters who brought forth actual learning opportunities or people who did the taxidermy themselves. I was hoping for a more technical/scientific approach rather than the raucous, drunken free-for-all it spun into. Too many people’s “stories” turned out to be just that–stories. And I wanted the real background on things… not a Coney Island-esque sideshow.
Still, I’m glad I went… there were a lot of treasures to be seen (especially the two anthropomorphic fox cubs holding their little duckling friends–both found in Budapest–SO ADORABLE!).
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2010
05 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
by starsandgarters in Fashion Commentary, Uncategorized
Best wings in show. Note the fabric "feathers."
So… I just finished watching the 2010 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
…I would like to take a moment to say… “WTF?”
She did the best she could, poor thing. Wish I could've found a rear shot of this one!
It was awful! Where was the energy? Where were the costumes? WHO THE EFF DESIGNED THIS ONE?! I mean, there’s always one or two weak links in the line-up of vignettes, but this year, there weren’t really ANY redeeming sets. The models did the best they could, God bless ‘em. Especially the poor girl who had to wear a giant stuffed soccer ball on her bum. I mean… really. Chanel Iman, sweet as ever, stole the show. Akon was great (not like last year’s Black Eyed Peas who just seemed to get in the way). Katy Perry was… meh. Honestly, her discomfort was palpable, having to share the stage with some of the most beautiful women in the world.
Gorgeous girl. Alas, she couldn't save it.
…and what the heck was up with the WT hayride extravaganza? Worst. set. ever.
I personally think VS should only have male musical guests to serenade the girls (although Fergie really held her own last year). It doesn’t make sense any other way, really. The whole point being the empowerment of the objectified women onstage–right? I’m not being funny here, either. I. LOVE. the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. It is my television event of the YEAR. There is nothing wrong with a woman feeling sexy. Nor is there anything wrong with what some might call her being “objectified.”
Speaking from personal experience, sometimes, as a woman, you don’t want to be seen as the person you are inside… you want
My fav dress of the night. And yes, I would actually wear it.
that reinforcement on the other side of the coin… you want to be seen as attractive on the outside, as well. Ladies, there is NOTHING wrong with that. We’ve been conditioned, growing up, to think that aspirations to being the most beautiful we can be are vain and superficial. And by the very definition, they are superficial. But that doesn’t have to be such a bad, bad thing (::laughs:: “That’s just something ugly people say.”). It is NOT, lady, just what’s on the inside that counts.
There are times when all I want to be is “objectified.” Because sometimes you don’t want to be the “smart” or “funny girl.” You’d rather be beautiful, too. If that’s all they see, then they’re not bothering to get to know you. No big deal. There are plenty of people who can look beyond that beautiful face in front of them (I know, it’s so hard sometimes) and learn to appreciate said body for ALL of its beautiful attributes–body and mind. And there are plenty of people (mostly women) who will resent you for looking more than presentable. No big deal on that end, either. It is pure shallowness whether someone refuses to look inside you whether you’re too homely or too attractive.
So I shall leave you with an excerpt from a poem by Edgar Lee Masters that has always resonated with me:
Adriana Lima: knows exactly what to do.
Mrs. Williams
I was the milliner
Talked about, lied about,
Mother of Dora,
Whose strange disappearance
Was charged to her rearing.
My eye quick to beauty
Saw much beside ribbons
And buckles and feathers
And leghorns and felts,
To set off sweet faces,
And dark hair and gold.
One thing I will tell you
And one I will ask:
The stealers of husbands
Wear powder and trinkets,
And fashionable hats.
Wives, wear them yourselves.
Hats may make divorces –
They also prevent them.