Hitchcock

Psycho - Vertigo - Rear Window....just mentioning a few of Alfred Hitchcock's movies which I guess we have all encountered or seen on TV/DVD .... and it seems to be a like/dislike relationship to his movies as almost none are neutral to what they have seen.... and is it not interesting that a 1950s movies can still makes those small hair on your body rise in horror??!! Guess that tells us that modern days' special effects still compeed with the old "simple" effects :o)

I have just seen hitchcock with Anthony Hopkins and Hellen Mirren as the Hitchcocks portraying the time wen they struggled to make the movie Psycho - revealing why Janet Leigh's scream in the famous scene with the shower curtain are so realistic. I was surprised to learn that secret and still you can not help laughing when you find out - and let me just say, he was not being nice to his leading ladies.

Book Lover's Club: Bookmarks - Part 1

Are your bookmarks always hiding, when you need one? So you grab what is available/suitable and use that item as a bookmark? Weather you answered yes or no, I think you will enjoy reading Michael Popek's book "Forgotten bookmarks".... and while reading it myself I realised that I used a ticket stub (flight) as my bookmark :o) I have several bookmarks but they all seem to be hiding in books - Some came with an O Magazine with quotes about books, a souvenir bookmark from London, a red ribbon, bookmark from a fellow crafter etc.

 

Sent my swap partner Diana the book as a teaser until she received my bookmarks.

Here are my 3 bookmarks - first one is with tea cups, as I always drinks loads of tea while reading - Thinking that Diana might be drinking a lot of tea or coffe while reading. Christmas, hoping that Diana gets to read more than to-do-lists or wish-lists during a busy month of December. Finally a reading girl, with a fitting sentiment on pages from Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" (a worn down copy - have purchased a new one to replace it).

This card was also sent with the bookmarks, and now I just hope that Diana will not run out of bookmarks anytime soon.

January Tea Swap: For the Love of Tea - Part 2

Hmmm with the theme: for the love of tea and optional colors, I just had to create a card with a danish style weaved heart - seriously, simply could not exist:

As I decided that I needed to include something a little extra, it had to involve something that I rarely do: embroidery. Inspiration for the "embellishment for the tea bag pouch came from here - changed the colors a bit to fit the colors of this challenge. Forgot to take a photo of the finished tea bag pouch, so here is the embellishment before being mounted on the usual style tea bag pouch going out with my swaps.

Monica have already received it, and I am happy that she liked my swap.

For the 5th Time: Yippie-Kay-Yay!!!!

The well-known words from John McClane (Bruce Willis) who has a talent spotting terrorists from a long distance and do his best to not letting the bad guys win - I have now seen all 5 movies in the cinemas, as simply had to go in and see his latest adventure (Yay! for enough cinema points to claim a free ticket) A Good Day to Die Hard.

This time we meet his son John McClane Jr - and even though they will not admit it at first, they are "like father - like son" which naturally spurs the humor we find in every Die Hard movie. This time the scene is Moscow, Russia - John Sr. tries to speak a little Russian with the help of a travel guide, but gives up and later on his not-understanding-Russian makes us laugh. Some critics do not like this movie, claiming it is an 80s relic - but hey! it is an action movie, which most of the time someone being macho - and terrorists are often on the outlook for something to use as weapons, so why not use some historic place that we do know something about? Die Hard movies are not supposed to be deep movies nor romantic ones but fun action - and that is what you can expect from this movie.

January Tea Swap: For the Love of Tea - Part 1

January's tea swap partner was Monica, and the optional theme that Fran had picked was: for the love of tea - optional colors: Red and White.

Never thought of color coordinating the tea bags with the optional colors, and starting to wonder: Why haven't I? However I have saved some of the tas from teabags - especially those with quotes and sayings -but have never found a good opportunity to use them in crafty projects - now I certainly got good inspration from Monica's card :o)

That is one of the great things about tea swapping - not only does one get to taste tea sold worldwide, but also the creations that comes with the swaps.

Thanks or being my swap partner Monica :o)

Classic Movie: Death on the Nile (1978)

The title of an Agatha Christied story that sprung into my head when I was standing in front of a pyramid in Egypt less than two months ago. Got to see the 1978 movie (marked by age and many screenings) at a local cinema last Sunday and it truly felt like being 3 places at the same time: being entertained in the cinema darkness, being in Agatha Christie's bookworld and back in Egypt amazed by the seights. 10 minutes into the movie I realized why the thought of the book had occured: the newly wed Doyles are at the pyramids and sfinx at the Giza Plateau - the same place I was visiting.

Fascinating that one sees new details, when seing the film where it is supposed to be seen: at the cinema - despite knowing the plot and having seen it a lot of times on tv. Agatha Christie's stories about Hercule Poirot seem to be timeless and still manages to intrigue people of all ages :o)

Tea Swap: Christmas Tea & Bazar - Part 2

Received Nicole's swap last week (how time flies by soo fast at the moment) and could not stop smiling when I realised that she too had chosen a knitted thing as the bazaar item: a mug warmer. a thing that has already come in handy as the tea is cooling down way to fst in our cold weather.

The tea bag holder also have an identical pocket in the back, an idea I might just use in the future in some altered way. The embossed card just underlines how many cool Christmas embossing folders that are available, and suddenly happy that we locally have a limited selection to choose from, or I would just end up using to much on crafty supplies.

Thanks for being my swap partner nicole :o)

Lincoln

16th president of the USA - who fought for the 13th Ammendment to the Constitution - emancipation. Went in to see the movie - a lot of people have complained about the amount of conversation in the movie. Honestly, I think they are forgetting something: politics involves a LOT of talking, speaches etc. It was the "hottest potato" of the time: emancipation - at the same time the Civil War was tearing the country apart leaving long trails of casualties. It's also very dark - but that is helping one to feel/understand the grim reality of the Civil war and it's human casualties.

Guessing most this part of history - so can only recommen you to see this movie.

No wonder, that Martin Luther King delivered "I Have a Dream" speach on the steps of Lincoln Memorial in DC - as Lincoln helped pave a trail for a lot of people seeking freedom and equal right. I know this speach, but never knew that King delivered the speach at the memorial - that I ound out on the day I visited the place which coincidently was Martin Luther King Day. The view from the monument is spetacular - no wonder that he's sitting watching over the Mall to capitol Hill.

Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC (2007)

Tea Swap: Christmas Tea & Bazar - Part 1

Well blame it on the not being able to use blogger for a while, but not finished with Christmas/December swaps yet. Over at PaperCraftPlanet's Crafter's Tea Party, the December challenge was: card or tag, two tea samples and one gift item(bazar style) and my assigned swap parter was Nicole.

 

Did make a card, but can not find the photo, but also made two tags - one using the Happy Santa Set from Birdie Browns Digistamp (That jolly Santa just screams Christmas) and one with a miniature weaved Danish heart.

...and the bazaar item..... well look just like this - you might recognize it from here.

Do not know when the swap from Nicole will be posted, as I have actually not received it yet... but once it arrives, it will be shown on my blog.

The Jane Austen Marriage Manual

How do you find your very own Mr. Darcy? Especially when you are getting close to the big 4-0?

Love books inspired by Jane Austen (this year is the 200th aniversary of the publishing of "Pride and Prejudice") and it seems to be a everlasting ressource of inspiration to romantic books, dreams etc. The most eerie thing about this book is, when I stumbled across it on my vacation, I was as close to my 40-mark, as Kate in the book - but did not realise that until I had almost finished reading the book.

"If lives throw you a lemon, make lemonade" (Joan Collins), an that exactly what Kate tries to persue when she gets fired from her journalist job. Despite warnings from her best friends, that reminds her, that she is not Jane Austen, when she tries to follow Jane's advice for company to see if they still work in or time in a freelance assigment. If you know your Jane Austen, you will recignize a lot of updated things, and if you have never been bitten by the Jane Austen bug, then this will still be an entertaining chic-lit.

Well Kim Izzo must be a bit of a Jane Austen addict herself as every chapter starts with a quote from one of Austen's book - and the name of some of the characters on recognizes from the Austen novels: Emma, Brandon, Marianne

December Tea Swap - Part 2

Received the swap from Melanie more than a month ago today, but have not had the chance to post it until now (unexpected blogger problems)- she already knows I received it. Some might argue, that it arrived too late for Christmas. But Hey!! If the Hobbits can have second breakfast..... then I can have second Christmas - namely January 6th. Lots of people regard January the 6th as their Christmas, and I will just use any excuse to prolong my Christmas (I love all the lights and decorations).....and now the Christmas decorations have come down, but some still keep the lights out, as it still gets dark early (a mnth ago it was 4pm - now it is 5pm).

If you remember the post about my swap, we were supposed to make two tags. Look at this tag - is it not amazing with that bell??!! Already told Merle, that I will not use it as a tag, but instead it is now one of my Christmas tree ornaments.
 

Here is the second cas tag, that will also become a Christmas ornament :o)

The tea came in a Santa tea bag holder - Santa's beard seems to be made of homemade paper (??) attached directly to the holder - definately an item that will be a part of future Christmases... just might copy this idea to other holidays as well.

Local Hawaiian Christmas ornament - the simple look makes it look so elegant.

And the tea.... long gone now - 3 new flavours that were all good. Thanks for being my swap partner Merle :o)

Up and Running...

Well that is my blog - not quite me, but taking it a day at the time.... do not know what happened with blogger but would not let me post for days - ut hopefully issues are gone now.