Curious Bird

monday monday

It's really beginning to feel like Fall here in Philly. Today has that warm sun with crisp, somewhat chilly air feeling about it. It's the kind of weather where I find myself being aware of which side of the street the sun falls on and consciously walking there.  This fact about myself is clear in my mind because I just returned from a long walk around my neighborhood sparked by a trip to the post office. You wouldn't believe how often I venture to the post office -- luckily I have two or three fairly close  to choose from. 

Here's a special order tote bag I finished and mailed out this morning. Very simple bag, BUT the fabric makes up for the simplicity. Lina, if you read this, I hope you like it.

I'm finding it hard to stay focused in my studio lately. It makes sense, I suppose. Having moved to a new city with tons of new things to explore leaves me a little distracted. Funny thing is...I have all these ideas and sketches for new creations, which means I'm still very motivated to create, just not finding it in me to stay put right now. Feeling restless.

I managed to work on a few things this weekend. Hopefully a few more of my ideas will materialize in the next couple of days. I can see a nice cup of tea with my name on it...that always helps.
One thing I'm sorta happy about is that I finally fixed a bag for myself that I have been hauling around for years. I thrifted it probably six or seven years ago and used it a little, but the handles were in need of some help. Upon moving here, I decided if I was going to keep this bag, I had to fix it and use it. The funny thing is it took me about fifteen minutes to finish the job. I had been putting it off for all that time and fifteen minutes was the magic number. I suppose things get done when they're supposed to.

Dustin and I saw Half Nelson yesterday. Ahhh, it's so good to be back in a place with decent film.
It was a really interesting movie that I highly recommend. Ryan Gosling is fantastic, as is the very young Shareeka Epps. It was one of those movies where Dustin and I spent a nice amount of time talking about it afterward. We were both interested in the way the movie focused on change, opposing forces, drug-use and the idea of wanting to do something good and trying, but rubbing up against obstacles time after time, leading to total disillusionment and disappointment.  The music was done by Broken Social Scene, which I found to be quite perfect.
Go see it if it comes your way.

more soon.

mail love

lately I've had the good fortune of being able to order a few lovely items for myself. yes, I'm well aware that christmas just happened, but except for the owl print shirt (see above), I placed orders that support amazing crafters whose creations I have come to know and love.
the ring pictured above hasn't and won't leave my finger any time soon. I found it on etsy. it's made by a sweet woman named Emily who sells amazing jewelry there. this ring is B.I.G. and is made from a beautiful dalmatian jasper stone with scalloped sterling silver edges. did I mention that it's big. dustin noticed that fact straight away. I love it.
also, the beautiful letterpress tree card is from maria, who happens to be a total inspiration to me. what a sweet girl she is, with tons of talent to boot. and she has her own letterpress.
and lastly, the owl print shirt was somewhat of a must have. big surprise. I'm embarrassed to say it's from delia's mainly because when I think of delia's, I think of girls that are fourteen, and I'm certainly not one of those. oh well it has lots of owls on it and that sealed the deal for me. I'm somewhat of an owl lover, as you probably know.

in other curious news, D and I finally saw Brokeback Mountain. I was sort of surprised by a few things because I had gotten the impression from reading various blogs and reviews that this film was very subtle, which wasn't the case in my opinion. I liked it overall, thought the story was beautiful, and just like everybody else, I noticed that Heath Ledger did an excellent job with his character. Jake was good, too, although I enjoyed Heath's performance more. He aced the cowboy mannerisms, aced them. (I've been around my share of cowboys, so I feel okay saying that) Also, in being truly honest here, I left the movie sad thinking about how even nowadays people aren't allowed to be with who they love. anyway, go see it for yourself. Ang Lee did well, and if you haven't seen his film, the Ice Storm, you should.

have a lovely day.
l

ps. if you're in the mood to hear an amazing new album, you must hear the new Cat Power. very good indeed.

the day has come, my friends. that's right, after months of waiting I finally got to see the squid and the whale. the fact that this film has just now gotten anywhere near me (I had to drive 35 minutes) is one reason why I miss living in San Francisco or any city for that matter. and why the two super movie complexes here, which seem to have plenty of room for an indie film are set on showing the exact same crappy movies *cough cheaper by the dozen cough* is beyond me. anyway, if you haven't seen this movie, you should simply for Jeff Daniels' performance alone. He nails his character and he isn't very likeable which makes it all the better in my opinion. Also, the actor playing his twelve year old son is a gem. I really never knew a movie about divorce could bring about so much laughter. now if Match Point could find its way here...


Friday's with Motown will be back next week. this is just a gratuitous photo.

I'm headed out of town for a long weekend. I'll share the details and hopefully some decent photos upon my return. I hope to get some crafting done while away-- I have lots of plans if I could stop getting distracted.

more soon.